CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive
2 May 2013
Company News
Design Students at ACS Egham International School Use Stratasys 3D Printing to Test Ideas in Reality
Stratasys Ltd [http://objet.com ]., a manufacturer of 3D printers and production systems for prototyping and manufacturing, announced details of some of the fun-packed 3D printing projects taking place at ACS Egham International School, based in Surrey, UK.
ACS Egham's trailblazing Design and Technology department installed a Stratasys Objet24 3D Printer in summer 2012. Three members of staff - Mr. Belcher, Mr. Spicer and Mr. Weatherley - trained to use the easy-to-operate equipment and have since made the 3D printing technology available to classes across the Middle School - for children aged 11-14 - and the High School - for 14-18-year-olds.
"We want to open up the world of rapid prototyping to as many students as possible," says Mr. Belcher, from the Design and Technology department. "The Objet24 is ideal for design students looking to produce highly accurate 3D printed models for visual aids, fit and assembly testing and functional applications."
The 3D Printer was first used by Grade 8 students to design and print components for a robotic design assignment. Belcher enthuses, "Having a 3D printer in the school is fantastic for projects like these because the children can let their imagination run free in their designs. They're not confined by difficulties with production, whatever geometry they can come up with in their design can be reproduced with 3D printing, and we can see if the design works in the real world."
Grade 10 pupils have 3D printed molds and positive objects for jewelry design projects and also highly detailed pieces for board games.
"Models produced by the Objet24 are very versatile. They can be painted, drilled, machined, or used as molds for vacuum forming and casting, so we're using it on a very wide variety of projects," says Belcher. "Printing to an accuracy of 0.1mm, the Objet24 provides the high level of detail and precision required for this sort of work and the students get hands-on experience of why this is important and what the issues could be around both the design and manufacturing process. So it's practical, educational, and the kids enjoy using it too."
The Objet24 3D Printer also features in the popular and expanding Design Technology IB Diploma course, where students focus on the use of CAD software and CAM equipment to produce excellent functioning prototypes.
ACS Egham purchased the Stratasys Objet24 through UK distributor Tri-Tech3D. Tim Smith, Sales Manager at Tri-Tech, comments, "It's fantastic to see the depth and breadth of the 3D printing projects at Egham school. The students really seem to be getting the most out of the fine detail, accuracy and versatility of the models printing with the Objet24 3D Printer."
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