3D Printing With More Than Just Plastic

On Magic Monday this week we had a 3D printing work shop. A few really cool guys came in and brought different kinds of 3D printers. They gave us mini presentations about 3D printing and the specific printers they brought with them. Before this I had only thought that you could 3D print with plastic. I had never been exposed to how the printers really work and everything you can do with them. The first printer we were shown could only print small objects but could make them very detailed. On this printer we trial printed a cute dragon just to watch the process and see the final product. This printer used biodegradable plastic.

The next printer we checked out printed with clay instead of plastic. Before seeing this I had not known that you could use clay in a 3D printer. I think this is really cool because it opens up so many new opportunities for sustainable building. We also learned that you can use more than just plastic and clay to print with. You can also use cement, wood, copper, gold and many other materials. How this works is by using the fine dust from wood or copper and adding a base that holds the material together. One of the men who came to teach us about 3D printing brought a printer he made with his company. It turns out these printers are vary affordable and supper user friendly. I am very curious about 3D printing and I hope one day Green School will invest in one of these printers.