The Challenge
IDeATe, the Integrative Design, Arts, and Technology network, offers undergraduate minors and courses in Game Design, Animation & Special Effects, and Immersive Technologies, as well as a number of other design focused degrees. These areas of study merge technology and creativity to provide learning opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. Like many university programs, iDeATe was looking to provide a curriculum that covers the use of emerging technologies, such as additive manufacturing, as a tool for creative or industrial design.
In order to provide the level of access to technology required, and for a large number of students, IDeATe turned to Array. Array's automation features coupled with its capacity for high volume printing, allowed IDeATe to explore 3D printing without overloading faculty and course instructors.
The Solution
The core automation technologies within Array are the key to meeting IDeATe’s demands.
“Students at all levels of education should have access to an Array. It is essential if we’re encouraging STEM education, design engineering thinking, prototyping, iteration - students should have a reliable 3D printer to make parts in the volumes they need.”
-Cody Soska, Technical Specialist at IDeATe
Array's gantry system, storage cart, and material pods work in tandem to ensure maximum throughput, unlocking the ability to print continuously for 72+ hours. Additionally, student prints can be managed remotely and queued to print on the weekends or at night. For Cody Soska, the Technical Specialist at IDeATe, this means he can spend more time working with students, and less time switching out material spools, build plates, and completed prints (as is common with other print systems).
The Future
“Array is going to change the face of STEM Education. For the price point, an Elementary school could easily buy this machine - giving 10-year-olds the opportunity to make and build something that lives in their mind. That’s so valuable”
-Cody Soska, Technical Specialist at IDeATe
Realizing Cody's vision for additive manufacturing in education is something we have been working hard on at Mosaic. Array's ability to automate tasks that are often managed manually, coupled with its high throughput capabilities and remote queueing, represents a scalable solution for offering 3D printing in learning environments that cater to large numbers of students. With an Array in every school, department, library or lab, students in STEM will be able to harness the creative power of 3D printing.
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