JMU 3SPACE, based in Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, is the USA’s  first college-level 3D printing classroom for general education.

After creating a small 3D printing JMU MakerLab for mathematics and statistics, teachers at James Madison University noticed that many students were showing a new interest in the technology. In fact, they soon realized that all 20,000 students couldn’t possibly share just three 3D printers and two computers.

So, they decided to build a new technology classroom. However, they ran into two main issues: funding and space.

“For us, it was securing the space itself that was the most difficult. University space is always at a premium, and we were asking to set aside an entire classroom 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for 3D printing courses and workshops,” teacher Laura Taalman points out in the Ultimaker blog.

However, they persevered, writing out an extensive budget plan, which came to around $35,000. They created a small 3D model to give to administrators who had never experienced the magic of additive manufacturing before. Plus, they even provided a one-page inspirational handout to win over the donors.

One additional fact held a lot of weight: if they moved quickly, they could be the first general education 3D printing classroom in the entire country. Finally, their efforts paid off and they received both funding and space.

JMU 3SPACE Set up and Uses

The result of their hard work yielded a classroom with eight stations. Each station has its own computer, 3D printer, and a box of post-processing tools held in a 3D printed Sharp Tool Holder.

“We also designed and 3D printed a special fan grate to keep fingers and pencils out of the 3D printer fans,” Taalman adds.

They also update the space on a regular basis. For the major equipment, they decided to go with Mac desktops and Afinia 480 printers. These were the smallest reliable printers they could find at the time.

They began printing first with ABS filament but soon switched over to PLA. For software, students are using anything that’s free.

Over the years, they’ve accumulated a MakerBot Digitizer, a couple of MakerBot Replicator 2’s, an Ultimaker 2 Extended+ and a CubeX Trio. Next semester they will incorporate Ultimakers.

The JMU 3SPACE now supports 3D printing across the entire university curriculum. Most classes start with a 3D printer demonstration and a safety training that involves printing “Quarter Traps.”

This involves students inserting a coin halfway through the printing process so it becomes trapped within the model.  (See picture below)

Indeed, the future looks bright for the JMU 3SPACE. This spring, they will include a converted science classroom into the first floor of the main library on campus.

And, the technology is also being updated. Teachers at JMU seem to be doing a great job of inspiring students using additive manufacturing. Maybe it’s only a matter of time before other college campuses follow suit.

Source: Ultimaker Blog