There’s no doubt that 3D printing is still capturing the imagination. There are plenty of stories published online concerning new and remarkable objects that have been printed out at home or in the lab, and even august institutions such as NASA have been messing around it. To many, though, it still remains a gimmick that may look good on a YouTube video but where it’s difficult to see how the application could benefit particular institutions or businesses.

One area that 3D printing could well come into its own in the very new future is education. Schools from primary level through secondary and beyond into higher education could be using 3D printing in a variety of areas to improve education. One reason it is not at the moment is that many of the decision makers who decide where budgets are spent don’t realise that the cost for 3D printers is coming down and there are a range of benefits leading to better teaching and learning.

Schools and 3D Printing

Children learning maths can find it difficult to grasp some of the more advanced ideas or theories and 3D modelling can help them better envision things like complex graphical representations or mathematical models.

Geography is another area where land structures can be quickly and easily printed out. Not only that but 3D printing can also add a certain wow! factor for a subject that is often quite dull for children to learn. Companies have been using 3D printing in this way for a while now – to explore the effect of earthquakes, understand the potential harm caused by fracking and even to land a spaceship on a comet many millions of miles away.

3D printing can be particularly useful for pupils to get hands on experience in the field of history. Rather than looking at pictures online or visiting a museum, students can print out exact 3D images of anything from dinosaur skulls through to tools from the industrial revolution.

Perhaps one of the subjects to benefit the most from the use of 3D printing in schools is art and design where students can actually produce their own work and then print it out almost immediately. 3D printing is increasingly used in areas like architecture and by inventors who can now design their products digitally before printing out – saving large amounts of money on the old way of designing and producing models.

The Cost of 3D Printing

One of the main hurdles that schools have to overcome when they consider bringing an innovation like 3D printing into the classroom is, of course, the cost. The good news is that as technology and uptake get better, the cost of 3D printing is coming down. What schools need is an affordable option that is robust enough to cope with their local environment. There’s no doubt that introducing this type of technology into the classroom can add value to teaching and learning and give students a brilliant new way to engage and develop their knowledge base.