3D Printers
Central Michigan University Opens MakerBot Center
Central
Michigan University (CMU) in Mt.
Pleasant, MI has just opened the first MakerBot Innovation Center in
Michigan.
MakerBot,
which develops and manufactures 3D
printers, has opened similar Innovation Centers at other higher
education
institutions around the United States, providing students and faculty
with
access to 3D printers that can be used for prototyping, model-making
and
creative projects.
"The
MakerBot Innovation Center will open the
door for students and faculty who work on creative projects and explore
the
intersection of art, technology and the humanities," said CMU College
of
Communication and Fine Arts Dean Janet Hethorn.
CMU's
center in the campus' Wrightman Hall will
have 30 3D printers, three desktop 3D scanners and proprietary software, the MakerBot Innovation Center Management
Platform, that
provides remote access, print queuing and mass production of 3D prints.
CMU has
spent $350,000 to equip the center.
With a focus on arts and
human services, students will be able to work independently or
collaboratively
on projects. Also, at least two new courses will begin in the next
semester.
CMU human environmental studies
faculty member Michael Mamp will teach a course on 3D printing in
relation to
fashion product conceptualization and development. Art and design
faculty member
Greg Stahly will teach "Creation in 3D," which will focus on the use of
the
printers in visual arts.
"We want our students to use
3D design to make their ideas come to life," said CMU
College of Education and Services Dale-Elizabeth Pehrsson.
CMU joins a list of
universities that have been equipped with MakerBot Innovation Centers
that
includes Ohio's Xavier University and State University of New York New
Paltz.
One of the first was built at the University
of Massachusetts Amherst in March.
About the Author
Michael Hart is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the former executive editor of THE Journal.
