MakerBot Academy Takes Aim at Education

The US has been the leader in additive manufacturing (AM) ever since Scott Crump designed Stratasys’ first 3D printer, but that may be changing. Both the UK and China have invested serious amounts of money into the technology, and the EU, with partner ESA, isn’t far behind. The US does have its own investments in place as well, such as America Makes (formerly known as NAMII), but with the turmoil in Washington, getting funding for new projects isn’t always easy.

MakerBot is hoping to help return the US to the forefront of AM with its MakerBot Academy program. The program would like to put a 3D printer in as many classrooms as possible to educate students about AM, and generate interest for the technology in a new generation of engineers and designers. MakerBot Academy represents a partnership between donorschoose.org, Autodesk, America Makes, and, of course, MakerBot (now a subdivision of Stratasys). 

Bre Pettis, MakerBot CEO and founder, was inspired to initiate the program following a recent State of the Union address in which President Obama stated, “3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything. We must ensure that the Next Industrial Revolution in manufacturing will happen in America. We can get that done.”

Pettis claims, and it’s hard to argue, that education is the key to the future success of AM in the US. To that end, businesses and individuals that would like to assist with the MakerBot Academy program can visit donorschoose.org and offer financial support for the program. Teachers can then register on the site to receive a MakerBot Academy bundle. Pettis has already personally backed the program by pledging funds to place a Replicator 2 in a number of public schools in Brooklyn, N.Y., MakerBot’s own backyard.

“As a former teacher, I believe strongly in creating a new model for innovation. A MakerBot is a manufacturing education in a box,” said Pettis. “We need to encourage our teachers and our youth to think differently about manufacturing and innovation. When you have a MakerBot Desktop 3D Printer, you see the world differently. Instead of waiting for someone to create a product for you, you can create your own. It can change the whole paradigm of how our children will see innovation and manufacturing in America.”

Each MakerBot Academy bundle includes a MakerBot Replicator 2, three spools of PLA filament, and a full year of the MakerBot MakerCare Service and Protection Plan. MakerBot will also assist teachers in the development of ongoing 3D printing curriculum for classroom activities, and draw upon Autodesk’s software and educator curriculum as well.

Below you’ll find a video about the most important part of the MakerBot Academy bundle, the Replicator 2.

Source: MakerBot