[3D Printing] How is 3D printing changing education? Let's hear from a STEAM teacher!

Getting Started with Ultimaker 3D Printers in Education: A STEM Teacher's Analysis
Which technologies have had the greatest positive impact on education across all levels and subjects? Projectors, printers, laptops, and personal computers? We believe that in ten years, anyone asked this question will undoubtedly add 3D printers to the list.

Jackie Derr, a STEM teacher and drone racing coach, collaborated with Mara Hitner, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at MatterHackers, to introduce Ultimaker 3D printers to her middle school students through project-based learning. In this article, she shares her experience using the Ultimaker 2+ Connect and Ultimaker S3 3D printers in her classroom.

Starting with the dual-extrusion Ultimaker S3 3D printer and then adding a single-extrusion Ultimaker 2+ Connect 3D printer with an Air Manager to her classroom, Jackie then joined Mara Hitner for a live demonstration, discussing her experiences with the Ultimaker series machines and sharing some exciting learning projects her students completed through additive manufacturing. You can find these free 3D printing projects here!

MatterHackers has compiled some key takeaways and insights from her evaluation to share with other educators looking to start using Ultimaker 3D printers in schools and educational maker spaces!

Deciding to Buy a 3D Printer — Don't Be Intimidated!
Reflecting on her experience choosing a 3D printer, Jackie described her feelings before taking the plunge and her initial concerns about setting up and using the machine:

"I had the privilege of trying the Ultimaker 2+ Connect... I first got the Ultimaker S3, and I have to admit I was very, very nervous when I ordered it! Because I was worried about how to set it up and so on, but that was a mistake, because the setup was too easy!"


Unboxing and Setting Up Your 3D Printer — Quick and Easy
When the Ultimaker 2+ Connect arrived, Jackie took the opportunity to record her experience unboxing and setting up the machine from start to finish. Watch the quick, simple unboxing process and preparation for printing with the assembled Ultimaker 3D printer:

Key Points

Regarding the setup of the Ultimaker 2+ Connect, Jackie offered one final piece of advice: "I would recommend downloading the manual before you start the setup, because the manual guides you step by step."

Or contact our 3DMART specialists for guidance!


Advantages and Considerations

After effortlessly completing the setup phase, Jackie continued to use her new 3D printer. After completing 3D printing projects and lessons with her students, she reviewed the overall advantages of Ultimaker 3D printers and important considerations worth noting.

"When I put these things together, I thought, 'Okay, I want to list the positive aspects of the printer.'"

Pros

• Easy Out-of-the-Box Experience — It's easy to set up.
• User-Friendly Experience — It's more user-friendly than other printers I've used.
• High Print Quality — High print quality without mess.
• Wide Range of Materials — You can use a wide variety of filaments! Mara added that you can go from Polylactic Acid (PLA) to Tough PLA (Tough PLA), to Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) and Flexible filaments, to Carbon Fiber (Carbon Fiber) and Glass Fiber, and these materials are very safe to use in the classroom.

Jackie believed that if you list the pros, you must list the cons. But she didn't see anything negative! So she decided to make a list of considerations for the printer:


Considerations

• Removing support material from prints — For the 2+ Connect supports, you have to peel or clip them off, but she had to do that with the first four printers she used. So she didn't know what to do either! One solution is to have students design objects that don't require as much support material, or objects that don't require any support if you change the angle (model). This is actually a good challenge for them.

• Single vs. dual extrusion — She almost feels like a printer whiz now because the S3 is dual-nozzle. So you can use support filament, and then when your object prints, you just put it in a bowl of water, let it dissolve, come back the next day, and it's done!

• Price considerations — She also reviewed her experience with 3D printing, but with limited funds, her view on printers was - she had 120 or 150 kids, and how many printers could she buy within a limited budget? So that meant if it was the 2+ Connect, she could buy two, and she did.

Jackie's final thoughts on her Ultimaker 3D printer were: "Setup, print quality, ease of use, Cura software, everything is great!"

For educational discounts and to start 3D printing in the classroom with Ultimaker 3D printers, contact us at 3DMART today!

These are both older models, while the S5 and S7 are newer models that are compatible with more filaments and have larger print areas!
👉 For detailed differences, please refer to this S-series comparison article: Before Choosing an Ultimaker 3D Printer, Check Out These 10 Key Differences!

Ultimaker will be hosting a webinar to explore the practical uses of 3D printing in education, such as in classrooms, libraries, and laboratories. If you are an educator, this webinar is for you! Whether you're already interested in 3D printing or looking for new technologies and engaging tools to attract and teach students, come and see if this is what you need! You can also directly ask experts, which saves more time than constantly searching online for information!