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3D Printing in Education: an European perspective
Dario Assante, Gerardo Maria Cennamo and Luca Placidi
Faculty of Engineering
International Telematic University Uninettuno
Rome, Italy
d.assante@uninettunouniversity.net
Abstract — 3D printing is an increasingly popular
technology, finding practical applications in many sectors. In
addition to technical uses, the use of 3D printing as a support
tool in education is also spreading. Benefits include greater
student involvement, the ability to visualize and better
understand theoretical concepts, the integration of practical and
theoretical skills. The areas of employment are many, from
cultural heritage to medicine, from science to mechanics.
However, to use this technology successfully, trainers need to
have (or acquire) specific skills and competences. The current
document intends to present the results of a study conducted in
the framework of the European project “3D Printing in VET”
on the current uses of 3D printing in education and on the point
of view of the sector's stakeholders on this topic.
Keywords—3D printing, Engineering education, STEM
I. INTRODUCTION
3D printing is a technology allowing the creation of
physical 3D objects through additive manufacturing methods,
starting from digital models [1]. Such a technology has had an
incredible development in the last decade, thanks to several
factors
xthe development of low-cost 3D printers, which have
favored the widespread diffusion of this technology;
xthe development of different printing techniques and
different printable materials, which have dramatically
expanded the field of application of 3D printing;
xthe concurrence of the previous factors with the
advent of the fourth industrial revolution, with the
consequent digitalization of the processes produced.
Nowadays, 3D printing has applications at commercial
level in the most varied sectors, from manufacturing industry
to medicine, from construction to food industry, from cultural
heritage to aerospace industry, just to mention some [2-4]. The
range of applications is so wide that the advisory company
Gartner publishes a yearly report on predictions related to
3D printing evolution and application. Currently, Gartner
foresees a continuous growth of 3D printing technologies in
the next year and predicts that by 2023, startup companies
working to commercialise 4D printing will attract $300
million in venture capital. In Fig. 1 the Gartner Hype Curve
related 3D printing in July 2018 is shown. The curve
represents the level of maturity of 3D printing technologies in
different sectors.
3D printing works by starting with a digital model of a
certain shape (e.g. in a 3D CAD file) and then creating a
physical three-dimensional object. The creation of the object
is done as follows. First of all it is scanned, i.e. it is converted
into a series of thin, 2-dimensional layers. This produces a file
with instructions (G-code) tailored to the specific type of 3D
printer. The object is therefore constructed by fused deposition
slices by slices. In other words, the 3D printer applies the
required combination of raw material (plastic, metal, rubber,
and the like) and then builds the object by adding one layer at
a time until it is completely designed and finished according
to the design criteria from the original file.
Fig. 1. Gartner Hype Cycle for 3D printing applications
Among the initiatives related to 3D printing, it is worth to
mention the RepRap project, a worldwide initiative started in
UK in 2005. It is an open design project aiming at developing
a low-cost 3D printer that can print most of its own
components. The replication capability would allow to
exponentially increase the number of printers. It would also
enable the manufacture of complex products without the need
for extensive industrial infrastructure [5].
In education, 3D printer can be used in several fields. For
instance, history students can print out historical artifacts to
examine, graphic design students can print out 3D versions of
their artwork, geography students can print out topography,
demographic, or population maps, chemistry students can
print out 3D models of molecules, biology students can print
out cells, viruses, organs, and other biological artifacts, math
students can print out 3D models of problems to solve [6-10].
In 2015, China has set-up the policy of putting 3D printers in
each of its 400,000 elementary schools, while schools in U.S.
are already adding 3D printers at a good rate. 3D printers are
gaining popularity internationally across education.
Recent studies evidences several potential benefits related
to the use of 3D printing in education:
Finally, it is possible to consider the following 4 major
benefits of 3D printing’s impact on education:
xcreates excitement: the student can be involved from
the study and design phase of the models to the phase
of realization of the objects, creating expectation and
active involvement;
xprevents students from having a passive role in the
learning process: the student is no longer a passive
consumer of information, but can actively participate
in the creation of objects related to the lesson topic;
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xopens up new learning possibilities: thanks to the
possibility of "visualizing" in 3D the objects
discussed in the lessons, the level of learning is
improved by expanding the amount of information
that can be acquired in a context without the benefit
of visualization;
xpromotes problem-solving skills: the student, in order
to print objects correctly, will have to learn to face and
solve practical problems, improve their manual skills
and their persistence and endurance in overcoming
difficulties. Furthermore, by mistaking and repeating
the processes until success is achieved, they will be
less afraid of trying to implement more complex
projects and ideas, improving their awareness.
xsupport tool: 3D printing can also be a valid support
tool to help pupils with difficulties, such as the
visually impaired or the blind. A relevant example is
the Tactile Picture Books project, with which tactile
books for visually impaired children were created, a
striking example. This project not only provides
useful tools for children with difficulties, but also
provides the opportunity for young people in middle
and high schools to experience 3D printing
technology [11].
However, there are also some factors that limit the
adoption of 3D printing in education. The cost of printers and
materials is now a small problem, given the constant drop in
prices. A strong limitation is certainly linked to the use of
technologies and the lack of specific skills of the trainers. A
negative factor is also linked to the inertia in changing
educational programs and methodologies. Add to this the lack
of well-established pedagogical approaches based on 3D
printing.
It therefore appears crucial on the one hand to train trainers
in the use of 3D printing in training and on the other to provide
suitable tools that facilitate the use of 3D printing in existing
training contexts. In this regard, several initiatives have been
launched worldwide, locally, nationally or even
internationally. Among these initiatives, there is the European
project “3D Printing in VET”, funded in the framework of the
Erasmus+ programme. The project aims to train teachers to
adopt 3D printing in vocational training programs, and in
education in general.
The project has started with an assessment of current uses
of 3D printing in education. The aim is to understand the
potential benefits, risks, opportunities and factors limiting the
diffusion of 3D printing in education. The activity also aims
to identify actual uses of 3D printing in education and the
related didactic methodologies. Data are collected both
through a desk research and through a small-scale quantitative
research, carried out through an online questionnaire.
This paper aims to show the main results of the assessment
of current uses of 3D printing in education.
II. METHODOLOGY
In order to evaluate the current use of 3D printing in
education, the partnership has decided to combine two kinds
of analyses.
At first, a desk research has been carried out, researching
for existing national and international training programmes on
the use of 3D printing in education at any level. The first aim
is to gather information about the structures, the contents, the
target groups and the (eventual) accreditation methods of the
existing training courses. The second aim is to identify the
existing didactic materials, both to classify them and to decide
the production of complementary ones.
Then, a small-scale quantitative research has been
designed in order to the point of view of experts in the sector.
The main aim of the questionnaire has been to understand the
potentials of the use of 3D printing in education, the actual
limiting aspects and the skills needed to successfully adopt the
technology. Being a survey limited to a limited number of
experts, the target groups have been chosen properly among
the different categories dealing with 3D printers. Most of the
questions have been designed as multiple choice, leaving a
couple of them as open. In order to facilitate the diffusion of
the questionnaire at European level, it has been translated in
seven languages, before disseminating it through the web.
III. RESULTS
A. Desk research on 3D printing in education
Often, 3D printing is linked to open resources. In the web
it is possible to find relevant amount of contents related to 3D
printing: they include tutorials on the use of printers,
description of materials, digital libraries of models and even
full online courses on 3D printing. Most of these contents have
been developed following the evolution of the technology,
often creating disordered and heterogeneous collections of
contents. However, in the last years we are observing activities
aimed at metadating and sorting these kinds of materials. Such
an activity should be encouraged and supported. It is worth to
analyze the available material in order to reuse the valuable
one.
The desk research intends to check national and European
existing training programs leveraging on 3D printing.
Particular attention is paid on the methodology used to
introduce 3D printing in the training courses, the didactic
materials used in the courses, the didactic modality and forms
of qualifications.
At European level, 89 projects have been funded just in the
Strategic Partnership strand of the Erasmus+ programme and
connected to 3D printing at large. Of them, 18 are more strictly
connected to 3D printing in education. They are listed in Table
1.
Contents and of the above listed training programmes have
been analyzed more in depth. A huge amount of material has
been found. Therefore, the first consideration is that it would
be really valuable to have a sort of catalogue of available
online resources, classified and (if possible) qualitatively
ranked.
Also, it seems to be very important the building of
communities and the sharing of good practices. Again, it
would be valuable to have a collection of them.
All the training projects describe the great benefits of 3D
printing, while the problems and risks related to its adoption
are never listed. A more trustful report would be necessary.
Finally, although it is a priority for the European
Commission, qualification of competences seems not be a
priority for all these project. Acquired competences are rarely
verified and there is a lack of vocational qualification
associated to the training courses. Also, it is very uncommon
the use of qualification frameworks, like the ECVET one.
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TABLE I. EUROPEAN PROJECTS CONNECTED TO 3D PRINTING IN EDUCATION
Title Description
Duration
Target Group
Mode of
Delivery
Period of
validity /
availability
Certificate
issued
Erasmus+ for the
immersion in 3D
printing of VET
centres
The project train teachers non-computer
design (CAD) skilled in VET centres with the
aim of using 3D printing across almost of all
the subjects.
3 years
Higher education
institution (tertiary
level): teachers in
educating students.
e-learning
2017 - 2020
Secondary
Education for and
through the 3D
Printing
3D4KIDS tool aims to be a sustainable open
tool to support the teachers in educating
students in 3D printing and common school
subjects using the 3D printing.
3 years
School/Institute/Ed
ucational cent
re
–
General education
(secondary level):
students
e-learning
2017 - 2020
PRINT 3D
Introduction to 3D
Design with
FreeCad
First steps in 3D design and 3D printing using
one of the most used Open Source tools:
FreeCad
na
Any interested user
e-learning
3DP
Training in 3D
printing to Foster
EU
The project aims to give people the
opportunity to develop their skills in 3D
printing
Adults
Students
Teachers
e-learning
09/2016.-
08/
2018
Certificate of
participation
3D4VET
Development 3D modelling curriculum and
training module according to ECVET
principles for VET schools.
VET school
teachers,
vocational college
lecturers, adult
education centre
teachers
e-
learning
ECVET
based
curricula
3D-HELP
The main aim of the project is creating
in
novative curricula, course content and e-
learning platform, that focus on the
revolutionary technology of 3D printing.
Adult Trainers
Adult Learners
Stakeholders
Innovativ
e
Curricula
e-learning
Certificate of
participation
E3D+
The main objective of this project is to address
the need to feed the 3D printing industry that
is under high growth with potential users such
as students, users, experts and professionals of
current sectors, so called “target group”.
Educators
Teachers
Student
s
Expert
Manager
e-learning
Certificate of
participation
3D+VET
E3D+VET tool aims to be a sustainable open
tool to support the teachers in educating
students in 3D printing and different subjects
using the 3D printing.
2,5 years
Teachers in
Voc
ational
education and
training, Schools
and
Higher Education
contents
on the
website
ongoing
and
unlimited
Online
certification
PRINT STEM
Pedagogical
Resources IN
Teaching Science,
Technology,
Engineering,
Mathematics
PRINT STEM project is developing
programmes and asso
ciated devices for
replicable use of 3D
printers, by also
transferring and adapting good practices of
partner countries
.
2 years
School/Institute/Ed
ucational centre –
General education
(secondary level):
Students and
teachers.
e-learning
2014 - 2016
INNO3D
3D printing
support service
for innovative
citizens
Context/Background of the Project: The
INNO3D project aims to develop tools to train
Librarians in using 3D printing so that they
have the skills to train library users to use 3D
Printing effectively.
3 years
Higher education
institution (tertiary
level).
e-learning
2019 - 2022
Evaluating Novel
Tangible and
Intangible Co
-
creative
Experiential
medical education
With the emergence of cutting-edge digital
media, such as Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed
Reality (AR/VR/MR), and the reduction in 3D
printing costs, learners can see and touch
detailed models and structures that are rare to
patients in clinical practice, or impossible to
discern on cadavers.
2 years
Small and medium
sized enterprise:
medical students.
e-learning
2020 - 2022
New Training
Resources For
The Change Of
The Industrial
Paradigm
This project covers all possible approaches by
incorporating all the actors involved as
partners, facilitating the formation of new
technicians who will develop new products.
This project aims to integrate Additive
Manufacturing and 3D printers with
Mechatronics.
2 years
Research
Institute/Centre.
In this context, the
target group of the
project are both
teachers and
students of VET
schools.
e-learning
2019 - 2021
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Title Description
Duration
Target Group
Mode of
Delivery
Period of
validity /
availability
Certificate
issued
3D modelling
curriculum and
applications for
3D printers and
tabs for VET
schools
Main aim of the "3D modelling curriculum
and applications for 3D printers and tabs for
VET schools" (3D for VET Schools) project is
to create a comprehensive 3D mode
lling
curriculum and training module for VET
schools that will include five key design
principles (alignment, strategy, learning
outcomes, assessment, validation)
2 years
School/Institute/Ed
ucational centre –
Vocational Training
(secondary level):
Vocation
al
education trainers;
Students from VET
schools and
colleges
e-learning
2016 - 2018
3DP TEACHER -
implementation of
3D Printing in
future education
The activities planned within 3DP TEACHER
project lead to the formation of two intellectual
outputs: “3DP Teachers’ Guidebook” and
“Innovative Teachers Environment (ITE)”.
2 years
School/Institute/Ed
ucational centre –
General education
(primary level):
-
teachers from
secondary schools
e-learning
2019 - 2021
3D Printer,
Technology for
the Future
This project was elaborated with the main aim
of improving at a European dimension the
quality of professional skills and personal
abilities of students and young people who
seek to continuously improve their vocational
preparation, with the final aim to facilitate
their integration on the market field.
2 years
School/Institute/Ed
ucational Centre –
Vocational Training
(secondary level):
Students of
vocational technical
schools and other
young people
looking for
improving their
professional skills
e-learning
2020 - 2022
Enhancing EU
Employability by
Adult Training in
3D Printing
The project’s main objective is to address the
need of European industry for workforce with
3D printing skills by developing specialized
training tools that would improve in a new,
innovative manner the skills of adult learners,
which boost the chances of obtaining jobs or
better paid jobs and, also, significantly enlarge
the horizon of job seeking.
2 years
Small and medium
sized enterprise:
Adult Learners and
Adult Trainers.
e-learning
2017 - 2019
3D Jail: printing
the future
The project aims to give an answer to such
issues by involving detainees in one the most
innovative phenomena of ICT economy: 3D-
printing, focusing the skills needed in order to
set up and use a 3D-printer
3 years
Social enterprise:
The inmates, The
penitentiary
educators, The
prison system
2018 - 2021
FUN@SCIENCE
- Exploiting 3D
printing for
science education
and scientific
careers
The proposal intends to develop and test a
model for science education, working on all
school level, based on the valorization of 3D
printing technologies and experiences. The
implementation of this model will create
learning experiences supported by 3D printing
activities at schools.
2 years
School/Institute/Ed
ucational centre –
General education
(secondary level):
School students
e-learning
2017 - 2019
B. Small-scale quantitative research
A survey has been designed, and submitted online, spread
at European level. More than 160 replies have been collected
from experts coming from VET centres, network of educators,
3D printer suppliers, FabLab and manufacturing centres. The
distribution of the experts by working activity is shown in Fig.
2.
Fig. 2. Distribution of the experts.
At first, we have asked is they had ever taken part in
courses on the use of 3D printing in education. Surprisingly,
just a quarter of them had replied positively, as shown in Fig.
3. The few ones that had previously attended this kind of
courses, mainly studied design tools for 3D models and
functioning of 3D printers.
Fig. 3. Question: Have you already taken part to any training program(s)
about the use of 3D printing in education?
34%
10%
15%
27%
5%
9%
VET Center / Provider
Teacher
Network of educators
Other educational
center / provider
3D service provider
and FabLab
Other
76%
24%
Yes
No
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Then, we have asked what are supposed to be the main
benefits of the adoption of 3D printing in education. More than
a quarter of the respondents agrees with “Facilitate the
comprehension, through the visualization of real objects”.
The other more common answer have been “Improves student
participation/engagement”, “Promotes active learning” and
“Encourages creative/design thinking”. Results are shown in
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4. Question: What are the main advantages of 3D printing in
education? (max 2 answers)
Then, we have asked the complementary question, that is
to say the factors limiting the diffusion of 3D printers in
education. Surprisingly, the cost of 3D printers is still
considered by far the most relevant limiting aspect, inspire of
the continuous drop of prices and the availability of low cost
printers. The two other main limiting aspects are the lack of
competences and of methodologies in the use of 3D printing
in education. On the contrary, health hazards are not
considered as a limiting aspect. Results are shown in Fig. 5.
Fig. 5. What are the main limitations the diffusion of 3D printing in
education? (max 2 answers)
We have also asked what are the sectors that can benefit
more from the use of 3D printing in education. The most
chosen sectors have been “Mechanics/Industrial technology”,
“Engineering” and “Computer drawing”, just followed by
“Arts”. The first two answers probably reflect the vision that
3D printing is strongly connected to manufacturing processes.
Therefore, it is possible that the idea to connect 3D printing to
other disciplines is still not so popular. Results are shown in
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6. Which sectors can benefit most from the use of 3D printing in
education? (max 2 answers)
Continuing the survey, we have moved to skills. We have
listed a series of skills and we have asked to rank their
importance for adopting 3D printing in education in a range
from 1 (very little) to 5 (very much). Then, we have listed the
same skills, but asking to rate them with respect to the use of
3D printers. In Fig. 6, the averages are depicted both for the
educators and for users of 3D printers. It is worth noting that
the most important skills are supposed to be “3D modelling”:
that is relevant, because these are skills that most trainers do
not possess, except in specific sectors. Also “Creativity” is
considered relevant and this is important, considering that it is
much more difficult to teach than purely technical aspects.
The answer is partly surprising, as the skills required from
a didactic and purely technical point of view should be partly
different. One possible explanation is that the teacher who
wants to use 3D printing must also have advanced technical
skills in the view of respondents. A further investigation is
probably needed.
Fig. 7. Please rank how much the following skills are important for:
adopting 3D printers in education (blue) and using 3D printers (orange).
These data provide the point of view of experts on the use
of 3D printing in education and are valuable for designing
training programs on such a topic.
IV. CONCLUSIONS
3D printing is bringing a disruptive innovation in several
sectors, including education. Teachers and trainers need to
acquire specific competences to introduce 3D printing in the
training programmes and independently use the printers and
related tools. These skills are not only technological, but also
19%
18%
25%
26%
4%
%
%
7%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
%
1%
Improve student
participation
Promotes active learning
Encourages creative /
design thinking
Facilitate the
comprehension
Improve drawing skills
Provides complementary
educational materials
Don't know / Other
30%
31%
20%
4%
1% 13% 1%
Cost of 3D printers
Lack of competence to use
3D printers
Lack of methodologies for
3D printing in education
Absence of benefits from
using 3D printers
Health Hazard
Rigidity of curricula
I don't know / other
Art
Computer drafting/design
Cooking
Engineering
History and Humanities
Mathematics
Industrial Technology
Medicine
Physical Sciences
Don't know
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%
0,00 1,00 2,00 3,00 4,00 5,00
Creativity
Drawing
3D modelling
Problem solving
Programming
Knowledge of manufacturing…
Knowledge of materials
Educator User
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include creativity and flexibility to consider new ways of
teaching.
From the analysis of the existing training courses and from
the answers of the experts to the questionnaires, a great
potential and a great interest towards the use of 3D printing in
training appears evident. However, the costs of technology,
the need for specific skills and the lack of consolidated
methodologies are the main limiting factors. The development
of structured training courses, capable of evident good
practices of using 3D printing in training, are essential. It is
also essential to catalog and classify the large amount of
material existing on the web for 3D printing.
Designing training courses on 3D printing for education
must take into account the state of art of technology and the
real needs of trainers. The training courses must also take into
account the huge amount of heterogeneous open educational
resources available on the web, which can be accessed and
reused. The results of the research presented in this paper want
to provide a contribution for the design of training
programmes on the use of 3D printing in education.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work has been co-funded by the European
Commission within the project “3D Printing in VET”, n°
2019-1-EL01-KA202-062909.
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