3D Printing Comes to Foxborough High School

The following was submitted by Foxborough Public Schools Assistant Superintendent Amy Berdos as part of the Foxborough School Committee’s Teaching and Learning Highlights series.

Imagine a world where you can make anything by simply pressing a button. This idea is not fantasy, but a reality at Foxborough High School with the help of a 3D printer. Mr. Ralph DiBona, Foxborough High School Technology Education Teacher, along with Foxborough High School students Michael Riccio and David Trufan were present at the last School Committee meeting to share exactly what a 3D printer is and how it works.

Mr. DiBona began with a brief history of the 3D printer explaining that although it has been around since the mid-1980s many schools did not have them due to cost. He described how the medical industry is using it for prosthetics and the construction industry for building residential homes with the capability of building 30 by 30 structures. “We are seeing 3D printing in its infancy, it’s everywhere, even growing vegetables,” he shared excitedly. He went on to say that the 3D printer is affordable in part due to the generosity of Schneider Electric.

A 3D printer is technology that uses a layering process to create three-dimensional (3D) models from a picture or data file. Think of an ink jet printer that instead of printing ink, prints successive layers of material to create a physical object, he said. David, a sophomore at FHS, displayed several examples of architectural models created in class. He then demonstrated with the help of his classmate Michael how an object is created simply by using a hand-held scanner, the software and printer. In a minute’s time Michael had scanned David’s head, captured the image as a picture and put it into a printable file. David explained how the printer software tells the printer where to lay out the plastic which includes millions of layers built on top of each other. Michael, a senior, shared that the opportunities at FHS and the access to such technology has fascinated him so much that he plans to attend New England Tech to pursue mechanical engineering next fall. “I think it’s really cool how you can make things like prosthetics and organs,” he shared. The possibilities for 3D printing and FHS students truly are limitless!

This Teaching and Learning Highlight truly highlighted how Foxborough students are engaging in high-tech experiences and how these experiences are playing out in our 21st Century Classrooms.