1

IMPLEMENTING3DPRINTERSANDRAPIDPROTOTYPINGMACHINESIN
THE21STCENTURYCLASSROOMANDTHEEFFECTON
MANUFACTURINGSKILLSMASTERY

AGraduateReview

Submittedtothe

DivisionofInstructionalTechnology

DepartmentofCurriculumandInstruction

InPartialFulfillment

OftheRequirementsfortheDegree

MasterofArts

UNIVERSITYOFNORTHERNIOWA

by

JeremiahD.Cooper

December10,2014

ThisReviewby:JeremiahD.Cooper

Titled:Implementing3DPrintersandRapidPrototypingMachinesinthe21st
CenturyClassroomandtheEffectonManufacturingSkillsMastery

hasbeenapprovedasmeetingtheresearchrequirementfortheDegreeof
MasterofArts.

____________
___________________________________________
DateApproved
GraduateFacultyReader

____________
___________________________________________
DateApproved
GraduateFacultyReader

____________
___________________________________________
DateApproved
Head,DepartmentofCurriculumandInstruction

Abstract

Writethislast.
Thetopicinonesentence.
Thepurpose,thesis,ororganizingconstructandthescopeofthearticle.
Thesourcesused.
Theconclusions.
Limititto150words.

TableofContents

Abstract..iii
Introduction1
Purpose..#
Description of School District..#
Description of School Building and Stakeholders..#

Statement of the Problem.....#

Research Questions.....#
Purpose of Analysis.....#
Literature Review Application.#

Methodology...#
Evaluation Criteria for Sources...#

Analysis and Discussion.....#

Conclusions and Recommendations....#
References.#

Introduction
Purpose
3DPrintersandRapidPrototypingMachineshavebecomeincreasingly
popularvariouscommunitiesincludinghobbyists,designers,andeventhe
classroom.Theincreasedpopularity,alongwithmanyfreeandlostcostpieces
of3Dprintingequipmenthavemadethesemachinesaviableresourcethatcould
findtheirwayintoeveryclassroom.Manycompanies,articles,andjournal
reviewsclaimthat3Dprintersandrapidprototypingwillrevolutionizethewayin
whichteachersreachandengagealloftheirstudentsinthe21stCentury
classroom.
3Dprintersareatechnologicaldevicethatusesprintablematerial,such
asplastic,tocreateobjectsbydepositinglayersofthatmaterialinsuccession.If
youhaveneverseenonebefore,thinkofitliketakingatubeoffrostingfora
cakeandmovingthetubebackandforthwhiledepositingthefrosting.Naturally
thefrostinglayersbuilduponeachotherandyouendupwithsomekindofa
design.Atitscore,thisistheprimaryideabehindhow3Dprintersfunction.
Mostnewer3Dprintersusethisextrusionprocessinordertocreateobjects,and
thisnewtechnologyisthereasonthatpriceshavebeguntocomedown
significantly.Withalltechnology,theprocessesandproceduresinwhichthese
machinesworkiscontinuouslyevolvingandchangingtomeettheneedsofthe
consumers,andthestudentsintheclassroom.

RecentlywithintheWaukeeCommunitySchoolDistrict,whereIcurrently
amemployed,therehasbeenanincreasedpushtoget3Dprintersinto
TechnologyEducationclassrooms,ourlocalAEA,andincreasedaccesstothese
technologiesforallstudents.Thisliteraturereviewwillinvestigatetheuseof3D
printersandrapidprototypingmachinesintheclassroom,andtheireffecton
studentsmasteryofmanufacturingconcepts.Thereviewwillalsodescribethe
knowledgegapofvirtualdesignandtheuseof3Dprinterstoteach
manufacturingandproductdesignintheclassroom.
Description of School District
TheWaukeeCommunitySchoolDistrictisthefastestgrowingschool
districtinthestateofIowawithmorethan900staffmembersservingmorethan
8,000studentsingradespreschoolthroughtwelfthgrade.Theschoolsserve
studentsfromClive,Urbandale,WaukeeandWestDesMoinesaswellasopen
enrollmentstudentsfromothercommunitiesoutsidethe55squaremilesofour
districtboundaries.
Therearecurrently12schoolbuildingsoperatinginWaukeeincluding
sevenelementaryschools:Brookview,Eason,MapleGrove,Shuler,Walnut
Hills,WaukeeElementaryandWoodlandHillsonefifthgradebuilding:Vince
MeyerLearningCentertwomiddleschools:WaukeeMiddleSchoolandWaukee
SouthMiddleSchooloneninthgradebuilding:Prairieviewandonehighschool:
WaukeeHighSchool.

Description of School Building and Stakeholders

WaukeePrairieviewiscurrentlya9thgradeschoolbuildingdesignedto
helpstudentsmakethetransitionbetweenmiddleschoolandhighschool.The
buildingcurrentlyservesapproximately600studentsandemploysover50staff
members.Theclassesthatthisliteraturereviewwillbereferringtoatvarious
pointsaremyIntroductiontoManufacturingcourses.Thesecoursestypically
allow1516studentseach,ranginginagetypicallyfrom1415yearsold.The
studentsinwhichtheWaukeeCommunitySchoolDistrictservehavevarious
ethnicandeconomicbackgrounds,aswellaslevelsofaccommodationand
individualizedteachingplans.

Statement of the Problem

StudentsintheWaukeeCommunitySchoolDistrictareunabletomakea
clearconnectionbetweenthevirtualdesignsthattheycreateusing
computeraideddraftinganddesignsoftwareandhowrealworldproductsare
manufactured.Themisunderstandingbetweenvirtualdesignandproduct
creationcanincludeconceptsofvirtualdesign,scale,size,materials,and
processesnecessarytomanufactureproducts.Thepurposeofthisreviewisto
identifyiftheuseof3DprintersandrapidprototypingmachinesbytheWaukee
CommunitySchoolDistricthelpsclosetheknowledgegapbetweendesigning
productsvirtuallyusingcomputeraideddesignsoftwareandactualproduct
creationusingmanufacturingprocesses.

Research Questions
Do3Dprintingtechnologieshelpclosetheknowledgeandunderstanding
gapbetweenvirtualdesignusingcomputeraideddesignsoftwareand
productmanufacturing?
Do3Dprintersasaclassroominstructionaltechnologytool,provide
effectiveandimprovedresultsinteachingstudentsaboutvirtualdesign,
scale,size,materialproperties,andmanufacturingprocesses?
Didtheuseof3Dprintingtechnologiesintheclassroomresultinstudents
respondingthattheyincreasedtheirlevelofknowledgeandunderstanding
betweenvirtualdesignandproductmanufacturing?
Purpose of Analysis
Thepurposeofthisliteraturereviewandanalysisistodeterminethe
effectivenessforstudentengagementandlearningwithintheWaukeeCommunity
SchoolDistrictusingstudies,peerreviewedarticles,andempiricalevidenceretrieved
theclassroom.Currently,therearealargeamountofsourcesthatdescribe3D
printingandrapidprototypingmachinesandtheirpotentialforrevolutionizingdesign
andmanufacturing,howeverthereareveryfewstudiesthatanalyzeandevaluatethe
effectivenessofthesetechnologiesintheclassroom.

Literature Review Application

Thegoalofthisliteraturereviewistoserveasameansforanalyzingand
evaluatingtheeffectivenessof3Dprintingasaninstructionaltechnologywithin
theclassroom.ThisliteraturereviewcouldbeappliedtootherTechnology

Educationclassrooms,aswellasclassroomsthatareinterestedinpossibly
addinga3Dprintertotheirclassroomtryingtoincreasestudentlearningand
engagement.Theinvestmentandknowledgenecessarytoimplementthis
technologyintheclassroomcanstillbeconsideredsubstantial,thereforethe
effectivenessofthese3Dprintingtechnologiesisnecessary.

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Methodology

TheprimarymethodthatIusedforlocatingresourceswasthroughthe
useoftheUniversityofNorthernIowasRodLibrarys
OneSearch!
database
searchsoftware.OneSearch!allowedmetosearchdatabases,books,journals,
andarticlesusingvarioussearchterms
3Dprinting
,
rapidprototyping
technologies
,
CADDtechnologies
,and
3Dprintingclassroom
.Examplesof
databasesthatIusedinmyliteraturesearchinclude:EBSCOhost,Academic
OneFile,CorporateResourceNet,VocationalandCareerSection,andSmall
BusinessReferenceCenter.AlongwithmyuseoftheUniversityofNorthern
IowasRodLibraryresources,IusedpeerreviewedjournalarticlesthatIhadin
printthatIreceiveduetomyprofessionalinvolvementinthesubjectof
TechnologyEducation.IalsoreferencedexistingstudiesthatIhadprevious
learnedaboutandreferencedinmyundergraduateeducationattheUniversityof
NorthernIowa.
Myrationaleforselectingandanalyzingsourceswasbaseduponwhether
ornotthesourcewascredible,useful,andrelevant.Whenestablishing
credibilityforthesources,Ilookedatthecredibilityoftheauthorthroughtheir
backgroundandqualificationswithinthefieldof3Dprinting.Ialsoestablished
credibilityofthepublicationbycheckingdatesofpublication,whetherthe
informationwasstillrelevanttotodaystechnologyandmanufacturingprocesses,
andiftherewasalargeamountofnewdatathatsupersededthatofthesourceI

11

wasresearching.Anothercontributingfactorwhennarrowingdownsourcesin
myresearchwastheoriginalityofthestudiespresentedbytheauthors,orifmost
oftheinformationbeingpresentedwasfromsecondarysources.Finally,Iwould
analyzeifthesourceclarified,connected,orcontributedtothetopicofmy
literaturereview.ThesourcesthatIreferencedneededtofitbyidentifyingkey
issues,topics,pointsofview,andareasofinquirythatrelatedtotheproblem
statementthatIidentified.

Evaluation Criteria for Sources

Credible
AuthorsCredibility
PublicationsCredibility
Useful
Doesthesourceclarify,connect,orcontributetotheproblem
statement?
Relevant
Doesthesourcereferencekeyissues,topics,pointsofview,orareasof
inquiryrelatedtotheproblemstatement?

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Analysis and Discussion

Thefirstdistinctionthatmustbemadeisthat3Dprintingtechnologyhas
beenaroundinsomefashionforseveraldecades.Thebigmovementnowwithin
the3Dprintingindustryisthatitisbecomingeasierfortheaverageuserto
understandandthecostof3Dprintershassignificantlydeclined.Theaverage
3Dprinter,evenfiveyearsagowasaround$12,000.Nowitspossibleto
purchasea3Dprinterforasingleuserorclassroomforaround$1,200.There
havealsobeenseveralmovementswithinthe3Dprintingcommunitytocreate
softwareandprinterdesignsthatarefreetothepublic,anexamplebeingthe
RepRapmovement.InDesignandProduction3DPrintingfollowsShane
Williams,amemberoftheRemapcommunity(Spurling,2013).Remapisan
organizationandcharitythatfocusesonprovidingindependencetopeoplethat
havephysicaldisabilities.WilliamsusesfreeprogramssuchasBlenderand
otherfreeCADsoftwarestodesignpartsandproductsusinga3DPrinter.3D
Printingtechnologyhasloweredfrombeingseveralthousandsofdollarstodo,to
justoverathousanddollarsforacapableprinter.Thecostisstillsomewhat
high,butthecapabilitiesandbenefitsofa3Dprintermayoutweightheoverall
cost.Thebigdifferenceinthe3DprintersthatWilliamsuses,isthattheprimary
printingmaterialisvinylasopposetoPLAorMLAplastic.Williamsusesthe3D
printertocreatepartsandinnovationsonexistingproducts,suchashis
wheelchair,togiveiteitheraddedimprovementsoragreaterlifespan.
Asdescribedearlier,3Dprintershavebeenusedinindustryforthelast

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severaldecades,howevertherehavebeenlargeinnovationsthathaveimproved
theabilityforteacherstogetthemintheirclassrooms.However,thereisstill
somesignificantinstruction,maintenance,andplanningthatmustbeconsidered
whenputtinga3Dprinterintoyourtechnologylineup.Therearesoftwareand
hardwareskillsthatyourstudentswillneedtounderstandpriortosettingthem
looseonany3Dprintingmachine.Makeittofakeit,byKrisSanganiisanarticle
thatdetailstheissuesandhurdlesinvolvedwith3DPrintingandimplementing
programsinschools(Sangani,2013).Firstofall,inordertoeffectivelyuse3D
Printers,theusermusthaveagoodunderstandingofCADsystemsandhowto
editandmanipulate3Dobjectsusingsoftware.CADsoftwareiseasilyavailable,
howevernoteveryoneisgoingtoinherentlyunderstandhowtouseit.3D
Printersdopresentissuesinregardstohowtheprocessworksandthematerials
involvedaswell.Manydifferentusersof3DPrintershaveexperiencedvarious
issues,suchastheprintersnotworkingeverysingletime,havingtospendlarge
amountsoftimefixingtheirprinters,andbeinglimitedonthetypesofmaterials
thattheycanusetocreate.Manyusershavealsodescribedmanyissueswith
theproductsupportaftertheyhavepurchasedtheirprinters,asmanycompanies
arenotdoingeverythingtheycantohelptheiruserbase.Theaverageuseris
alsonotgoingtoknowwhich3Dprinterisnecessarilythecorrectoneforthem
andalsohowtosafeguardagainstfutureproofing.Aswithanystateoftheart
technology,atwhatpointistheproductgoingtobecomeobsolete.Doesit
makessensefortheaveragepersontobecomeinvolvedwith3Dprintingnow,or

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shouldtheywaituntiltheproductsbecomemoremainstreamandtheissuesare
workedout?Anotherlargeissueisintheideaofbeingabletocreateproducts
forfree.Intheworldof3DPrintingand3Dscanning,thereisgoingtobealarge
amountofproductreplicationandbreakingofpatentlaws,muchlikethe
downloadingofmusicintheearly2000s.
Teachers,administrators,andparentsneedtounderstandtheneedfor3D
printerswithintheirstudentsclassrooms.Moreandmore,theresearchis
pointingtothefactthatmanufacturingasanindustryisgoingtogothrougha
largechange.Historically,thegoalofallmanufacturingwastocreatelarge
batchquantitiesofitemsatverylowcosts.Theshiftappearstobethatpeople
aregoingtostartgoingawayfrommassproducedproductsinlieuofsmallbatch,
highlycustomizedobjects.3DPrintingThenextIndustrialRevolutionbyBarry
Bermandescribestheprosandconsof3DPrintinginrelationtoother
manufacturingmethods,aswellas,howitwillbegintomaketheaverageperson
theirownmanufacturer.Traditionalmanufacturingmethodshavebeen
expensive,overcomplicatedfortheaverageuser,andcompletedinthirdworld
countries(Berman,2012).3DPrintinghastheadvantageinthatitallowsthe
usertomakesmallbatchesofproductseasilyorcreateprototypeswithout
havingtoorderlargequantities.Massmanufacturingisanindustrywhereifyou
arenotproducingmillionsofaproduct,youarenotmakingmoney.3DPrinting
takesouttheunnecessarycostsassociationwithsmallbatchmanufacturingand
putsthecontrolintothehandsoftheuser.Itisnoweasyfortheaverageperson

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tobecometheirownmanufacturerofcertaintypesofproducts,madefrom
variousmaterials.

Thewholeideabehindintroducing3Dprinterstotheclassroom,issothat

teacherscanreachtheirstudentsinnewandrefreshingways.Believeitornot,
humansdonotalllearnintheexactsamewaysandthewayinwhichmanytraditional
classroomsarecurrentlysetup,certaintypesoflearningstylesareverydrastically
underutilized.3DPrintingoffersandavenueinwhichteacherscanbeginreaching
studentsvisual,spatial,andcreativetalentsinordertodrawthemintoaparticularunit
ofinstruction.Thegreatthingabout3Dprinting,isthatifyoucandesignitusing
computersoftware,youcanalmostalwayscreateit.Thisallowsteacherstodesign
theirunitsinnewwaysinwhichtheycanthinkoutsidethebox.
DesignintheAge

of3DPrintingbyHodLipsonisanarticlethatreallyemphasizestheideaof
thinkingoutsideofthebox.Intheworldof3Dprinting,youcanbasicallycreate
anythingthatyoucanimagine,aslongasitcanbecreatedorscannedintoa3D
CADsoftware.CADsystemshavefundamentallyandphilosophicallyremained
thesame,howevertheuserinterfaceshavebecomemorefriendlyandvideo
tutorialshavereplacedgiantmanualsofinformation(Lipson,2012).Itiseasier
thanevertohavestudentsgainaccesstothesameCADsoftwarethatisusedin
industry,ifnoteasier.StudentscangainfreeaccesstovariousCADsoftware
andlearnwithoutanymonetaryrestrictions.Thisallowsforclassroomstobring
incomplexityofdesignwithoutthecomplexityofhowtheyaregoingtoafford
everything.3Dprintersarenowcheapenoughthattheaverageclassroomcould
easilyobtainonewithafewfundraisersorgrantopportunitiesintheirdistrict.3D

16

Printersarealsoaccurateenoughattheconsumerleveltoreplicatethecomplex
modelsthat3DCADsoftwareisabletocreate.Studentsareabletogothrough
theentiredesignprocess.
Toprinttheimpossibleisanarticlethatfocusesoncompaniessuchas
BoeingandGeneralElectricastheyuse3DPrintingtechnologytodevelopboth
prototypesandactualworkingproducts.Thesecompanieshaveaninherent
interestthatstudentshaveexperienceworkingwith3Dprinterspriortoworking
fortheircompany.Ifschoolscanstartteachingstudentshowtouse3DPrinters
moreeffectivelyearlyon,theywillnothavetospendasmuchtimeeducating
theirworkforceonhowtoproperlyusetheequipment.BoeingandGeneral
Electricarealsonotedinthearticleasseeingthelimitationsonthecurrent
methodsof3Dprinting.ThisissimilartootherarticlesthatIvebeenreadingand
howclassroomshaveexperiencedmanyofthesamehurdleswithregardsto3D
printingtechnology(Greenemeier,2013).
Aslongastheteacheriscompetentinthebasicsof3Dprinting,thereis
noreasonthatthetechnologyshouldonlybeusedinsecondaryand
postsecondarylearningenvironments.3Disgoingtobemosteffectivewhen
younglearnersarestillyoungandverytactileinhowtheylearn.Also,research
showsthattheyoungeryoucanintroducestudentstocontentanddifferent
subjectareas,themorelikelytheyaretopursuethoseinterestslateroninlife.
Elementarylevellearnershavesomuchtogainfrom3Dprintingwithinthe
classroomintermsoftheirabilitytoproblemsolve,create,andthinkoutsidethe

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box.3DPrintingforChildren:Whattobuildnext?byMichaelEisenburgisan
articleabouthow3Dprintingtechnologyhasbecomemoreaffordable,easierto
access,andmoreeasilyunderstoodbychildren(Michael,2012).3DPrintinghas
beenamajorinterestareaforquitesometime,withexamplesofconsumer
modelsdatingbacktothe1970s,howeveritisonlyrecentlythat3Dprintinghas
garneredsuchinterestbystudents,teachers,andthemedia.Alotofthisinterest
comesfromthefactthat3DPrintersarenowcheaperandthereareseveral
companieswhoaremakingthemforconsumers.Thequestionnowis,atwhat
ageshouldstudentsbeexposedtotheideaof3Dprintingtocreateandwhat
shouldthestudentsmake?3DPrintinghassomanydifferentapplicationsand
waysinwhichitcanhelpstudentslinkcomplexideasandtopicstoareallife
tangiblethingorobject.Itsagreatwaytohelpstudentsmakeaconnection
betweensomethingthatisnormallyintangibleandcreateanobjectthatwill
scaffoldthatinformationinthestudentsmind.3DPrintingisalsoagreatwayfor
childrenandadultstoexpresstheirideasandactuallyturnthemintorealobjects.
Therearemanywaysinwhichteacherscaneitherrequisitionfundingor
findlocalcompaniesthatwouldbewillingtohelpfunda3Dprinterforthe
classroom.Oneofthelargestdeterrentsinthepastfor3Dprinterswasthecost
topurchaseone.Nowthat3Dprintersarearound$1,200forabasicclassroom
setup,itismorethanpossibleformostclassroomstolocatefundingwithintheir
buildingordistrict.Manylocalindustriesarealsogoingtorequirethatgraduating
studentsunderstandhowtouse3Dprintersfortheircompaniesandmanywould

18

bemorethanwillingtohelppitchinfundsinordertoget3Dprintersintomore
classrooms.Fundingfor3DPrintManufacturingProgramisashortarticleabout
howyoucanpartnerwithlocalandlargescalebusinessesthathaveaninterest
instudentslearningaboutadditivemanufacturingmethods.Intheexampleof
theUniversityofDaytonResearchInstitute,theypartneredwithlargescale
companiesthatuse3DPrintersintheirmanufacturingmethods,oralsousethem
tocreateprototypesofproducts(Funding,2012).Thesecompanieshavean
inherentinterestthatstudentshaveexperienceworkingwith3Dprinterspriorto
workingfortheircompany.Theywillnothavetospendasmuchtimeeducating
theirworkforceonhowtoproperlyusetheequipment.Thisadviceonfundingfor
3DPrinterprogramswillbeessentialinorderforallschoolstobeabletohave
accesstothistechnology.Italsomakesitmoremeaningfulforthestudents,as
theycanseethedirecttietoindustry.
IsPrintingDead?Notin3DwhichwasanarticleproducedbyMechanical
Engineeringtalksabouthowthemarketfor3Dprintershasspikedoverthelast
severalyears.Betweentheyear2010and2012,thenumberofpersonal3D
printerssoldhasgonefromabout6,000to25,000.3Dprintersareshowingthat
theyarenextbigfrontierwhenitcomestoprintertechnologyandtheprinter
salesmarket.People,bothchildrenandadults,nowunderstand3Dprinting
technologybetterthaneverandthetechnologyisevolvinginsuchawaythat
everyoneisgoingtowantaccess.3DPrintersaregoingtousedifferenttypesof
materialsandthetechnologywillevolvepastjustbeingabletocreatethingsout

19

ofplastic.Thecostofprintershasalsocomedownenoughthatschoolsand
universitiescanaffordmultiple3Dprinters,notjustone(MechanicalEngineering,
2012).
Earlierinmyresearch,Italkedabouttheimportanceingettingparents,
administrators,andteacherstounderstandhowmanufacturingisgoingto
changeandthatourstudentsaregoingtoneedtobeprepared.Anotherreason
toalsotalkabout3Dprintersisthechangeinwhichthehealthofpeopleisgoing
toprocuredandprescribed.Anewandemergingindustrywithinthe3DPrinting
world,istheabilitytousethetechnologyinthemedicalfield.Thisarticle
primarilyrevolvesaroundtheideaofusinga3Dprinter,withbiomaterialto
recreateadentalplastercast(Kasparova,2012).Thisisaveryrevolutionary
idea,whereapersonordoctorcouldprintabioengineeredproductusinga3D
printerthatcouldbeasuitablereplacementforamissinglimborcorrectabirth
defectthatwouldhaveotherwiserequiredextensivesurgeryorbeenlost
altogether.As3Dprintertechnologycontinuestoevolve,themedicalindustryis
goingtobeaprimarybenefactorastheabilitytodoctorstorecreatenewbody
partsthroughthetechnologywillberevolutionary.
ThearticleHowisInternetofthe3DPrintedProductsGoingtoAffect
OurLives?isabouthowvarioustechnologiesandculturalphenomenons
revolvingaroundtheinternethavechangedourlives.Varioussocialnetworking
toolsthatutilizethewayinwhichpeoplecommunicateviatheinternet.The
musicandmovieindustrieshavecompletelyshiftedtheirbusinessmodelsto

20

includesalesovertheinternet,whichisgrowingeachyear.3Dprintingis
alreadyshowingthattheavailabilitytoprintmodelsusing3DCADsoftwareis
goingtobesimilartowhatthemusicindustryexperiencedintheearly2000s
(Kaur,2012).Peoplearealreadyabletoeasilyproduceandsharemodelsusing
variousCADexchangewebsites.Asthetechnologybecomesmorereadily
availableandeasytouse,itseemsthattheremaybeissuesofproductpatent
infringementandcopyofreallifeproductsviatheinternet.Itraisesalotofgood
issuesonwhetherornotthisissomethingthatisgoingtobeaddressedinthe
productevolutionof3DPrintersandthewayinwhichpeoplearetrainedtouse
them.
3Dprintingisamethodinwhichlayersofmaterialaredepositedin
successiontocreateanobjectorproduct.Thisresearchpaperhasdescribed
thehistorybehind3Dprintinginindustry,howmanufacturingasawholeis
changingtobemoreindividualizedandpersonalthroughtheuseof3Dprinters,
howandwhyteachersshouldbeginseekingaccessto3Dprintersfortheir
classroom,andhowtheworldof3Dprintersischangingtomeettheneedsofall
peopleinthemedicalfield.3Dprinters,likeourclassroomsarecontinuously
evolving,andwhiletheyarenotamagicalboxinwhichourclassroomswillallbe
changed,theycertainlyoffertheabilitytoreachstudentsindifferentwaysand
beginmakingthemthinkoutsidetheboxintermsofhowthingscanbemade.
3Dprintersareawayforteacherstoreachthevisual,spatial,andcreative
learningstylesthatsooftenarepassover,andcreateamethodinwhich

21

studentscanexploreinanew,funway.

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Conclusions and Recommendations

Concludingmyliteraturereview,Iwouldliketoestablishtheneedfor
futureresearchintheareaof3Dprintingintheclassroomandtheeffectiveness
foradditionalsubjectareas.Afteranalyzingandreflectinguponmysources,
theysuggestthatthepotentialof3Dprintingintheclassroomcouldextend
beyondtheareasofvirtualdesignandmanufacturing.Thetechnologyseemsto
lenditselfgreatlytothesubjectareasofScience,Technology,Engineering,and
Math(STEM).Theuseofthistechnologyintheclassroomtoapplycontent
knowledgeandconnectionswithreallifeproductscouldpotentiallyleadto
increaseinstudentlearningandengagementinotherareasoftheschool.

23

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24

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