Beginners’ guide to 3D printing

Vaka founder and chief executive Jesse Armstrong was in Gisborne this week to teach e-STEAM 101 — an education package focused on teaching 3D printing and entrepreneurship. He is pictured here with some of the objects that were created using 3D printing. Pictures by Rebecca Grunwell

An education package focused on teaching 3D printing and entrepreneurship was a big hit with students from Te Kura - The Correspondence School.

They learned to design and make their own 3D objects.

A colourful array of imaginative 3D designs including keyrings and pendants was the result of this hands-on two-day workshop, made using the 3D printer at the new Haututu Hacklab in Treble Court.

Two groups of students from Te Kura’s Wairoa and Gisborne branches took part in the workshops provided by education company Vaka.

The groups were encouraged to come up with designs that had a back story and meaning to them, which they then brought to life using 3D printing.

The first day of the workshop focused on drawing and design which, once completed, was sent to the 3D printer. On the second day, students took their objects from the printer and sanded and finished them.

Vaka is focused on teaching STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and maths) and entrepreneurship to youth and communities across New Zealand. It aims to ignite the next wave of STEAM entrepreneurs by providing design and technical training.

The design workshop embraces Te Kura’s Leaving to Learn philosophy which provides experiences outside  the classroom which have meaning to the students and incorporate tikanga Maori.

Te Kura’s national lead for Leaving to Learn, Trudy Harrison, said the students were totally engaged in the workshops and encouraged by how easy it was to create their own 3D designs.

“Through He Whai Taumaru | Leaving to Learn, ākonga (students) are able to experience opportunities that ignite their passion and evoke interests that allow them to seek pathways beyond the classroom.  Ākonga loved attending the 3D printing workshop as it was steeped in mātauranga Māori and taught about tikanga and principles of design from their world.

“Several ākonga left with their pieces as broad as their smiles.”

They were given the tools and taught the techniques and had come up with impressive results, Ms Harrison said.

Taiki e! now has the 3D printer set up at their new Haututu Hacklab premises in Treble Court, part of the innovation space in central Gisborne.

3D printing is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model.

Vaka founder and chief executive Jesse Armstrong said 3D printing was an exciting technology with incredible potential, but learning how to do it could often seem difficult and intimidating.

‍“That’s exactly why we created e-STEAM 101. It’s the perfect solution to get schools or community groups feeling inspired to start.”