Secondary Education for and through the 3D Printing Erasmus Project

Project Title

Secondary Education for and through the 3D Printing

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for school education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2017

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: ICT – new technologies – digital competences; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Research and innovation

Project Summary

3D printing is an innovative rapid prototyping technology where different materials (molten plastic, metal, resin, …) are laid down (printed) layer by layer to produce a 3 dimensional object. This is known as “additive manufacturing” the material is added to form the model rather than being machined off as in normal (subtractive manufacturing) forms of production.

Our project was based on the evidence that, according to most analysts, improvement in economies of use and quality of printed parts was expected to drive the overall global 3D printing market to reach a value of $5.9 billion in 2015. The sector – according to the data collected at the application stage – was forecasted to grow to $49 billion in 2025, representing an annual growth rate of 23.7% CAGR for the 10-year period. (The Future of 3D Printing to 2025 report).

We moved from the assumption that the main factors affecting competitiveness in the upstream portion of the value chain include the raw materials availability, investment in tangible goods and skilled labour. Regarding this last factor, workers’ qualifications was considered one of the crucial points in the innovation and 3D printing industries. To boost competences and skills requires initiatives addressing training to keep workers updated and to enable them to acquire new competences in line with new technologies and develop new initiatives to promote the anticipation of future skills needs and foster collaboration among industry, social partners and education.

3D4KIDS consortium was composed by seven full partners with different profiles:
-Three secondary schools from 3 countries
-One European network of schools
-Two social partners representing the industry and experts in 3D printing
-One expert in software development of tools for education.
Furthermore, two associated partners: one school and one industrial large enterprise has supported the consortium during the development of a pilot test.

The main objectives of this project were:
-to feed an industry that was in high growth as was the 3D printing of their “target groups”: students
-to improve educational transversal skills of the students through the use of 3DP
-to heightened concentration of pupils with Attention Deficit Disorder or other Special Educational Needs
-to improve 3DP skills of secondary school’s teachers without technologic background as the best way to transfer this innovative knowledge to 21st century students
-to work in a cross curricular way among Departments in schools so that this technology is not confined to a single subject area
-to use ICT and 3DP to develop innovative teaching and learning practices
-to improve linguistic competence
-to know first-hand the educational systems in every country participating in the project
-to encourage students and teachers to investigate and to gain an insight into different European cultures, languages and the value of diversity
and we consider them all reached successfully.

This project was addressed at EU level because 3D printing industry is a global industry and education about future 3D printers must be addressed internationally.
The school education wants to raise awareness among their workforce and students, about the importance of multi skilled teams in job market. It is a reality that in a globalized world they have to work shoulder to shoulder with colleagues from different countries and with different skills communicating in different languages and aiming a common goal or project.

To achieve these goals, the consortium has produced the following intellectual outputs:

-Guide for teachers about how to develop designs of didactic exercises suitable to be 3D printed published under the open Creative Commons Licence.
-Open Catalogue of 3D printing format exercises for improving skills of students on the different subjects of schools
-Innovative and intuitive software tool to contain the 3D printing kits of exercises including a guide for 3D printing focused on school education
-Networking software tool for connecting schools and 3D printing industry service providers that has made the school don’t depend on own 3D printers.
-Report of the use of 3D printing in European schools using 3D4KIDS tools, exercises and methodology.

Our activities and objectives were integrated into several subjects across the curriculum: Technology, Art and Design, Science, Languages, Maths, CAD.

3D4KIDS tool proved to be a sustainable open tool to support the teachers in educating students in 3D printing and common school subjects using the 3D printing. The school’s teachers have been provided the necessary guides and tools to feed the software application in the future with own exercises and has made the school to not necessary depend on their own 3D printers machines by using 3rd parties services. The project has also taken advantage of different national pilot test across Europe improving the intellectual outputs of the project.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 362830 Eur

Project Coordinator

FURNESS ACADEMIES TRUST & Country: UK

Project Partners

• STYRIAN TECHNOLOGY PARK (Stajerski Tehnoloski Park d.o.o.)
• ASOCIACION EMPRESARIAL DE INVESTIGACION CENTRO TECNOLOGICO DEL MUEBLEY LA MADERA DE LA REGION DE MURCIA
• IES José Luis Castillo-Puche
• Srednja sola za oblikovanje Maribor
• CENTRO INTERNAZIONALE PER LA PROMOZIONE DELL’EDUCAZIONE E LO SVILUPPO ASSOCIAZIONE
• Pristálica SL