MakerBot, the global leader in desktop 3D printing, has announced its newest offering, the MakerBot® Starter Lab for educational institutions and businesses.
The company has designed the product to prepare students to be “more college and career ready” by putting them in a situation where they can experience cutting edge technology of the future.
“The MakerBot Starter Lab is designed to help educational institutions prepare students to be more college and career ready by providing them with relevant, competitive skills today. For businesses, a MakerBot Starter Lab can provide a competitive advantage as an investment in future technology that fuels new ideas and growth. 3D printing can speed up innovation and iteration, help facilitate Real-Time Prototyping and shorten product design cycles,” said Frank Alfano, acting CEO of MakerBot in a press release.
The State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill (SUNY Cobleskill) and Union College in Schenectady, New York, have already purchased the MakerBot Starter Lab package.
“The MakerBot Starter Lab has already helped the college quickly make 3D printing accessible to more students to foster creativity and collaboration,” said John Rieffel, assistant professor of computer science at Union College.
So far, students have taken part in 3D projects that have incorporated modelling and printing geometric shapes to help visualise and better understand mathematical concepts; printing masks of historical figures to make historical facts more accessible; and an ambitious effort to work with local artists in Vietnam to explore the intersection of high-fashion carved wooden shoes and 3D printing.
“From Agricultural Engineering to Early Childhood Education, SUNY Cobleskill seeks innovative solutions to today’s challenges,” said SUNY Cobleskill president Dr Debra H. Thatcher.
“We’re excited to explore the new possibilities and applications that MakerBot’s cutting-edge 3D printing technology will afford our entire spectrum of learning environments.”
The MakerBot Starter Lab includes MakerBot Replicator® 3D Printers, a MakerBot Digitizer™ Desktop 3D Scanner, MakerBot MakerCare® Protection Plans for all hardware, a supply of parts and materials, and a custom-tailored, on-site MakerBot Learning workshop.
To learn more about the MakerBot Starter Lab, please go to makerbot.com/starter-lab.
