Shropshire 3D Print Ltd has installed 3-D printing and STEM products into its 275th school, enabling thousands of school children in England and Northern Ireland to learn about additive manufacturing (AM). The students are gaining an understanding of engineering, CAD (computer-aided design) and measurement, and adapting essential skills for every area of manufacturing.

One of the schools Shropshire 3D worked with was the Hadley Learning Community Secondary school. Natalie Stewart, the lead on STEM and Computer Science, delivered a 2hr session with 24 students on reverse engineering where they were exposed to a real-world design and engineering problem.

The overwhelming interest shown by the students led Ms Stewart to start a STEM Club at the school which saw over 60 students attend the first event. The club has visited leading manufacturers such as Jaguar Land Rover and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) in Coventry, where students had hands-on experience with a ‘state of the art’ 3-D printer, which is now on the International Space Station.

Highly sought-after careers
Ms Stewart said: “My aim was to ensure that students can see the latest technology in action, and how it works in real life. There are highly skilled, highly paid jobs that need STEM knowledge, and exposure to additive manufacturing in school has introduced our students to this technology while at the same time enabling them to compete for highly sought-after careers.”

Shropshire 3D Print started in 2014 with education being a specific focus and has chosen to work with the MakerBot 3-D printer range. These printers are beneficial to a range of STEM subjects enabling links to be made between mathematics, design and physics, biology and engineering. They offer schools a means of empowering today’s students to become the innovators of tomorrow.

Paul Brewer, Shropshire 3D Print director, added: “I am passionate about creating awareness and training to schools throughout England and Northern Ireland using the MakerBot range of printer products to assist teachers and learners in the development of engineering and design. An ageing workforce means that hundreds of thousands of skilled technicians and professional engineering roles will need replacing over the next 10 years.”

More information on the MakerBot 3-D printer range and education can be found at the website (www.shropshire3dprinters.co.uk/makerbot-for-education.html).