The PAST Foundation provides teachers with tools and programs to deliver meaningful STEM education to every learner. Their toolkit and Knowledge Capture program allow entire communities to transform classrooms and involve community members in student success. Elliot Mork's work at PAST focuses on understanding communities through ethnographic research to inform policy and drive successful educational transformations. He discusses how 3D printing and CNC machines can be applied in educational settings to engage students through hands-on projects that develop important skills. Various free and paid software and machines are introduced to provide starting points for implementing 3D printing and CNC routing in classrooms.

1. PAST Foundation provides teachers with a process
to deliver meaningful STEM education.
“Meaningful” differs for every learner and every
teacher. The PAST designed toolkit and Knowledge
Capture program enables entire communities to
transform traditional classrooms and reach every
learner. The results are engaged
students, empowered teachers, and a community
actively involved in student success.

2. My work at PAST focuses on
COMMUNITY VOICE
Knowledge Capture: Understanding You
PAST ethnographers use a set of methods that
identify issues, success, and constraints to help steer
policy and drive successful transformation.

3. Elliot Mork
STEM Coordinator and Logician of Learning
B.S. Aerospace Engineering
Engineer and Educator
• FIRST Robotics, FRC and FLL Coach – Judge Advisor for FLL
• Fabrication lab
• Fabrication high school internship program
• Curriculum development and implementation

4. What is 3D printing?
• Adding material layer by layer to build a
structure.
• Different from subtractive manufacturing
(mill, lathe, CNC routing) by adding material
instead of taking it away.
• Plastic, powder, metal and other polymers.
• Classroom models include ABS (think
McDonalds toys) and PLA plastic.

5. Printing with a 3D printer using ABS plastic
Subtractive manufacturing using a
CNC table router

6. Industry Applications
Why 3D printing will change the world

7. Rapid Prototyping
• Current injection molding requires costly and
time consuming mold creation.
• 3D printing allows for faster prototyping so a
mold is only made once.
Photo used with permission, Author Arne Huckelheim
Photo in the public domain.

8. Internal Structure
• 3D printing allows
for a customized
internal structure of
parts.
• This can be varied to
save weight and
conserve strength.
Photo by Dr. Andrew Bruening

9. Personal Manufacturing
• Individuals can manufacture custom parts in their
home.
• Examples include cell phone cases, camera
mounts, jewelry, and whatever else you can think
of!
Photo by CodeCreations, http://www.thingiverse.com/CodeCreations
Photo by Paul Hoover,
http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:41998

10. Educational Applications
So how is this useful for me?

11. Application of Knowledge
• 3D printing and CNC machines applies
geometry, trigonometry, design thinking and
more.

12. • School projects can take a lot of time, supplies and
expertise to build.
• 3D printing allows for faster design cycle
iterations, therefore more modifications.
• Students can try ideas out instead of teacher guiding
toward “correct” answer and method.
• Ideo shopping cart is great example of design work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M66ZU2PCIcM
Rapid Prototyping

13. Produce Products
• Use the 3D printer to produce final products
for student projects.
Photo by
drayde, http://www.thingiverse.com/thing
:3784

14. Tools and Starting Points
Where should I begin?

15. Machines
http://cubify.com/cube/
3D System’s Cube
• $1,299
• ABS or PLA
• 166 cubic inch build volume
Makerbot’s Replicator 2
• $2,549
• 100 micron resolution
• PLA Plastic, upgrade for ABS
• 410 cubic inch build volume
http://store.makerbot.com/repli
cator2.html

16. Build Process
Design a thing
Translate the thing
into printer language
Print the thing
• Printcraft
• TinkerCAD
• 123D Sculpt
• Any CAD program
 .STL file format
 Use someone else’s
file (Thingiverse.com)
• Makerware
• Slic3r
 This program usually
comes with the 3D
printer
 Settings like fill ratio
and fineness
• 3D printer
• ABS
• PLA
• Resin/Powder

17. Thingiverse.com
• Site for sharing .STL files.
• Other people have created many things you
can just print!
http://www.thingiverse.com/

18. Printcraft
• An online minecraft server that allows you to
export .STL files from objects you build while
playing a video game.
http://www.printcraft.org/

19. TinkerCAD
• Extremely simple CAD program suitable for
younger students.
• Drag and drop functionality to create .STL
files.
https://tinkercad.com/

20. Autodesk
• Robust professional tool suitable for high
school students.
• More challenging to learn but prevalent in
education.

21. Thank you for joining me today, if you have
further questions or would like more
information, please contact us
School Design
Annalies Corbin, PhD
President & CEO
Knowledge Capture
Monica Hunter, PhD
Director of Research
Professional Development
& Bridge Programs
Sheli O. Smith, PhD
Director of Programs
www.pastfoundation.org • 01.614.340.1208
Elliot Mork: emork@pastfoundation.org
STEM Coordinator, Logician of Learning