Unit 4: Careers and Future of 3D Printing
Target Objectives:
Upon completion of this unit, participants will:
- Examine potential careers for 3D printing.
- Analyze the future of 3D printing to introduce it to their students
Careers and Future of 3D Printing
With 3D printing starting to become mainstream in society, there are lots of opportunities for using this technology as a profession. The first one that comes to mind is being an engineer, designing prototypes, checking for failures, making sure something works prior to mass production. Some students will be excited about this opportunity and want to be engineers for their career, but many will choose something else because of one reason or another. However, having the skills and familiarity with 3D printing can actually lend itself to many careers outside of the engineering field. Becoming familiar with these advancements will help entice your students to become interested in this technology because it's cool, but then have a comfort level to choose a career path they are interested in where they can still use 3D printing.
Outside of unique careers, the future is both promising and terrifying for 3D printing. It seems like everyone can get their hands on a 3D printer (because of lowered costs) and design some amazing products. For example, a company that sells prosthetics can hire a designer with 3D printing experience and instead of waiting weeks for a company to manufacture a limb, they can have it printed in a matter of hours. An added bonus is that if a part fails, a replacement can again be printed in less time than a typical customer service phone call. Along with the amazing, comes opportunities for individuals to use this technology for nefarious reasons. There has been exponential growth through the internet of downloadable files and blueprints to 3D print guns. There has recently been a federal bill passed to restrict the sharing of these files, but as technology evolves, there will always be people that find a way to use it in a negative way.
Summary of these ideas:
- 3D printing careers are not contained to only engineering
- There are many careers that no one would think of that can involve 3D printing
- The future for this technology is bright and there are lots of opportunities for growth
- We need to be aware of the negative aspects of this technology as well
Activities:
Activity #1:
Check out this website with five unique careers to talk to your students about. Of those five, which one do you think your students would find most interesting and why? Then, find an average salary for that career to be shared with your students.
Activity #2:
You are going to watch two short videos:
Food Ink. and 3D Printed House and answer the following questions: Would you eat the food? What could be a positive and negative of 3D printing food? Would you live in the house? What could be a positive and negative of living in a 3D printed house?
Reflection Activity:
Is the future of 3D printing exciting or scary to you? Do you think your students would gravitate towards some of these professions using this technology? Do you think 3D printing has had an overall positive or an overall negative impact on society as a whole?
Back: Unit 3: How Do I Find 3D Models to Print?
Next: 3D Printing in the Classroom: Course Conclusions and Additional Resources
Home: Getting Started with 3D Printing in Your Classroom
ETAP 623 Spring 2021 (Byrne) |
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NOTE: You will find citations for this course on the Getting Started with 3D Printing in Your Classroom References and Resources page.