iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

So where are we now?

One day soon, we’ve been told over the last decade or so, we’ll all have 3D printers in our living rooms! You can make whatever you want!! But we don’t, and you can’t. “With every technology, you have the hype cycle, and right now we’re sort of at the bottom, because the hype is over,” says Joris Laarman, a Dutch designer who has engineered new types of digital-fabrication materials and whose work is the subject of an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York through January. “People are kind of like, ‘Okay, so? What can we do with it? Was it real or was it just hype?’ ”

Well, for some it hasn’t been just hype. Laarman uses 3D printing to create functional, usable furniture called micro structures. SpaceX has a dedicated 3D printing zone at its plant in Hawthorne, California. GE’s Brilliant Factory aims to use 3D printing to transform large-scale manufacturing.

But where is 3D printing for the rest of us?

This is a selection of the best 3D printing websites, content repositories, marketplaces and search engines for free 3D printer files to download. Each lets you browse a large choice of 3D printing designs to print at home.

Like 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.

A sneaker starts with a sketch. Before a brand can turn that idea into a prototype, it has to produce the patterns that serve as the instructions for the factory putting it together, and create the metal mold used for the sole. This process alone takes weeks. It then makes a sample, which usually requires more fine tuning. Several samples may be necessary, with the process repeated each time a new one is made. It can take a year before a final design is ready for production.

Team work. (Nike)
Now virtual prototyping is letting brands shorten that timeline dramatically. Nike’s partnership with NOVA, the powerful technology platform from animation studio DreamWorks, allows it to produce photorealistic 3D images that eliminate the need for numerous physical prototypes, for example. NOVA even allows for material simulations, which let designers estimate how a shoe would fit. Nike is able to create more new designs in less time. The platform, Morgan Stanley notes, was used for How To Train Your Dragon 2.

3D printers may have started as a high-tech novelty, but they're becoming increasingly powerful. These days, they can print everything from rhino horns to self-driving cars. Which is why it may be surprising that one company is using similar technology for a decidedly lower-tech purpose: knitting. Kniterate is a digital knitting machine that can whip up wearable fashion at the touch of a button

Researchers from Binghamton University are developing an artificial pancreas for Type 1 Diabetes sufferers using 3D bioprinting.

People develop Type 1 diabetes when the body is unable to produce insulin. This happens when cells producing the insulin in the pancreas are destroyed by the immune system.

Research students from Binghamton University are exploring a radical new idea; to bioprint an artificial pancreas that would combat the problem. Although the technology is a long way off from being ready to use on patients, it’s an exciting medical development.

Free 3D printer files can transform your kids’ 3D printing projects. Rather than having to design their own objects, kids can get to grips with 3D printing by downloading files made by others. There is a great range of different websites with free STL files. These can offer not only free 3D printer files, but also can help kids get involved in the 3D printing community. Kids can enter contests, redesign existing files, post up their creations, or even sell their objects. Keep in mind that most of the websites require a quick sign up in order to download the files.

Take a look at the most popular 3D printing websites to download free STL files.

The printer uses a variety of gels, pastes, powders, and even liquid ingredients.

Disney recently decided to take down a handful of Star Wars models from Thingiverse, reigniting the conversation about copyright infringement in the 3D space. 

It could be very soon that every child amputee can don a bionic arm in their favorite Disney character’s colors for a fraction of the current price. This result will be thanks to Open Bionics and 3D printing.

This week, a clinical trial of 3D printed bionic hands for children starts in Bristol. The trial is the world’s first and could result in children receiving bionic hands at a fraction of the regular cost of £60,000. Funding from the Small Business Research Initiatives scheme made the trial a reality.
3D printing plays a large part in the price decrease from £60,000 to a projected £5,000. This is thanks to the technology’s ability to offer amputees a custom fit at the same time as speeding production.

If the trial is successful, bionic hands for kids could soon be available on the NHS (the national healthcare system for the UK). The hands would also feature kids’ favorite Disney characters.

If you’ve ever used a desktop 3D printer before, chances are you’re more than familiar with the Thingiverse platform. This 3D printing marketplace and community offers thousands of models that can be freely shared, downloaded, remixed, and of course, printed.

The platform was launched by MakerBot back in 2008, and has been expanding ever since. Nowadays, Thingiverse boasts millions of users and uploaded 3D models, offering everything from popular torture tests like the 3DBenchy to full-fledged educational lesson plans.

Intrigued by the continuous growth of this 3D printing marketplace, we decided to take a deeper plunge into this immensely popular platform. We recently chatted with Public Relations Manager Josh Snider, MakerBot Learning Manager Drew Lentz, and Thingiverse Product Manager Corey Zettler about the inner happenings of Thingiverse.