In Maine, high-end additive 3D printers in the range of $20,000 to $30,000 have been used for some time by colleges and universities in connection with research projects as well as in partnerships with industry and business. Recently, both additive and subtractive 3D printing has begun to be used as a means of engaging students in the area of STEM, with turnkey software packages and associated design libraries making it possible to create everyday objects such as gears, key rings and iPhone cases.
The purpose of this web site is to serve as a guide to the digital fabrication equipment that is or will soon be operational in Maine's K-12 schools. We hope to summarize who is doing what and where, and how easy it is to use and maintain the printers and equipment now on the market. In addition, we hope to provide case studies of how the close coupling of digital fabrication with project based learning encourages students to identify and solve real-world problems. These "learning benchmarks" are, we believe, critical to convincing STEM educators that the investment of time and resources in this technology is likely to have a tangible and long lasting benefit for students.
Digital Fabrication and 3D Printing
Digital fabrication involves the use of computer controlled equipment that precisely deposits or removes material for the purpose of creating customized components or structures. Digital fabrication includes additive 3D printers as well as subtractive tools such as cnc routers and rapid prototypers. Additive 3D printing in particular has captured the interest of not only the scientific, engineering and medical community but of architects, designers and educators for its ability to speed engineering and creative processes. Most significantly, this "digital revolution" is finding its way into homes, schools and offices with increasingly sophisticated table top units at affordable prices.
A new digital revolution is coming, this time in fabrication. It draws on the same insights that led to the earlier digitizations of communication and computation, but now what is being programmed is the physical world rather than the virtual one. Digital fabrication will allow individuals to design and produce tangible objects on demand, wherever and whenever they need them. Widespread access to these technologies will challenge traditional models of business, aid, and education." - Neil Gershenfeld, MIT