Laboratories of the Future – a project tailored to 3D printing
More and more schools decide to join the government program Laboratories of the Future. Thanks to this, students have the opportunity to use equipment usually unavailable at school. 3D printers, soldering stations, and microcontrollers are part of the equipment that may be available in every school in a few years.
What are Future Laboratories?
This is a government project aimed at equipping primary schools (and soon also secondary schools) with technological equipment. Its implementation is intended to arouse in students the desire to expand their knowledge on topics related to technology industries. It is also intended to provide them with the opportunity to implement their own projects.
What equipment can be purchased with funding?
In addition to electronic devices such as cameras and camcorders, schools can purchase 3D printers. However, they must meet specific requirements. One of the devices that fully meets the program conditions is the UBOT S320 desktop printer.
What criteria must a 3D printer meet to be used at school?
There are a few conditions that both the equipment and its distributor must meet in order for the school to be able to purchase a given 3D printer. Manufacturers usually indicate in their offers that a given device meets all the requirements, but it is also worth verifying this yourself.
The most important criteria of the program are:
- Minimum working area of 150 x 150 x 150 mm,
- A fully enclosed printer or one in which the side walls can be replaced,
- Compatible slicer (software used to operate the printer, such as Simplify 3D),
- Possibility of wireless connection with the printer and print preview in the mobile application,
- Interface in Polish or English and user manual in Polish,
- 12-month warranty,
- The need to service the printer in Poland (in practice, this means that a given printer manufacturer must have service points in the country).
In addition to these requirements, it is also worth paying attention to whether a given seller or distributor offers a training package related to the basic issues of using a 3D printer. An additional advantage is the possibility of purchasing filaments from the printer manufacturer.
What can a 3D printer be used for at school?
3D printing technology and its applications are expanding their scope every day. Additive methods of creating prints are now used in every field of life and industry: from the production of aircraft parts to prosthetic prototypes. This means that the only limitation is human imagination, which is highly developed in children and school-age people.
Thanks to the use of 3D printers in schools, students can first become familiar with the technology itself and its possibilities, as well as use it to print their own projects carried out under the supervision of teachers. The possibility of using 3D printing in schools has a positive impact on the development of students and their interests - from technology to medicine and design.
However, this does not mean that you need to know how to use design programs to use a 3D printer; Currently, there are dozens of free databases on the Internet offering ready-made files with printouts.
Laboratories of the future – when will the project start in secondary schools?
At this point, consultations related to the project have been completed in high schools, technical schools and vocational schools. The project organizers assure that it will cover all types of schools in Poland, so it can be expected that the recruitment of applications for the rest of schools will start soon.
On the Future Laboratories website, we can read that an analysis of the information collected from schools is currently being carried out, but there is no date yet for the start of accepting applications - please check the information on the project website on an ongoing basis.
What can 3D printing offer to secondary school students?
There is no single answer to this question, because the possibilities of using additive printing in schools are enormous. From creating and printing prototypes of bones and organs, through creating visualizations of individual assemblies in machines. Everyone will find something for themselves, and most importantly, the knowledge obtained in this way can contribute to arousing interest or expanding knowledge in a specific field of science and technology.
Moreover, exposure to three-dimensional prints has a positive effect on spatial vision and allows you to visualize designs that are sometimes difficult to imagine even in a design presented on a computer.
To sum up, a 3D printer at school will undoubtedly have an impact on the development of our youth.
