Daily Magazine

ike us, you’re tremendously excited by the possibilities of 3D printing. Unfortunately, the landscape is cluttered with trinkets, doodads and ornaments. We’re in danger of drowning in 3D printed objects that nobody wants or needs.

Fight the tide of mediocrity! Let’s make stuff that’s actually useful! Here’s a list of cool things to 3D print, right now, today. Prove to your nearest and dearest that there’s an everyday and practical application of this wonderful technology.

At the University of California Merced, the students in Professor Kara McCloskey's class are building robots. That's pretty neat, you may think, but not at all unusual - even elementary school kids are learning how to build robots these days, aren't they? Not this kind of robots.

Schools all over the country have been working to bring 3D printing to their students to support STEM integration, design thinking, student-centered learning, project-based learning, and the future of work. While some educators are comfortable embracing 3D printing with little formal training or support, others prefer more structured training and ready-to-use lessons in order to increase their comfort level.

There are many brands of 3D printers available to schools. MakerBot, founded in 2009, sells a variety of affordable, easy-to-use, wireless-enabled 3D printers and recognizes the revolution that 3D printing can bring to education. A branch of the company called MakerBot Education provides a wealth of resources to support teachers — whether they are new to 3D printing or experienced users of the technology. I recently spoke with Mair DeMarco and Forrest Leighton at MakerBot Education to learn more about the products and resources that MakerBot offers to educators. While many of these resources are free to any teacher, some of the resources are best suited for teachers who have or plan to purchase a MakerBot brand 3D printer.

Over the past decade, 3D printing has advanced from prototyping to mainstream manufacturing. It is transforming the shop floor in a range of industries.