3D printer becomes important tool in New Paltz art, technology classes |
On Board Online • April 27, 2015
By Merri Rosenberg
Special Correspondent
Perhaps this isn't the most pressing world problem, but Sean Copeland thinks it's time for a heated golf bag.
"You lose 20-30 percent of distance when you're playing in 40-degree weather," said Copeland, a senior at New Paltz High School who plans to study material science engineering when he enrolls at Penn State University this fall.
When Copeland and three classmates in an Engineering Design and Development course started to imagine manufacturing a heated golf bag, they had access to a unique tool - a 3D printer. It creates solid objects from a digital file by laying down successive layers of plastic or other material.
The Maker Bot 3D printer, which costs $2,899, plays an essential role in helping students identify and solve design problems, said technology teacher Alexis Mallory. "As part of Project Lead the Way, we offer engineering design and development for juniors and seniors," she said. "This allows kids to see an actual prototype." Students need to consider whether the project will be practical, and how the various elements of the prototype will fit together.
New Paltz is in its second year of working with the 3D printer, which is used in both science and art classes. It's a good way to prepare students for the world they'll enter after graduation, said New Paltz High School Principal Barbara Clinton.
"This is the result of a collaborative project and partnership with the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz," she noted. "It's about authentic learning, and helping students be career- and college-ready. This is not an add-on. 3D printing production is very much a part of what we do. It's about being aware of what's available in the real world."
For the heated golf bag, Copeland and three teammates had to figure out how a heater made for a car engine could fit in the base of the golf bag. Other projects included a smart refrigerator and a plastic clipboard with a place to store papers.
The clipboard was designed for students doing field research for an AP Environmental Science course. "Those students were frustrated with blowing papers when they were in the field," said senior Matt Gottstine, who will be studying computer science, engineering or alternative energy at SUNY New Paltz. "So the clipboard offers a special slot for them, as well as a drawer for pencils and erasers."
In the art and technology department, teacher Jennifer Cone said the focus is on "things people use," with the production of small-scale models or objects. On the decorative end, students produce 3D sculptures, for example. Among the questions that students are expected to consider include which software program is most effective and "how do you determine what's worth printing?"
"The kids will be the ones defining how technology will be incorporated into the culture," said Cone. "They're comfortable with it. It's part of their life. We're trying to work into the curriculum a 3D imagery and fabrication unit in every class."
One of the lessons students learn is the need for patience. "It's not about speed," said Cone, pointing out that it takes about an hour to make a keychain. When students made 3D models of DNA for a biology teacher, each took about 11 hours to produce.
Students are attracted to 3D printing's possibilities.
"It's something I've never done before," said senior Brooke Hart, a member of the school's engineering club. "It's cool to see what I can print. It's a very creative field and that's why I like it."