Netherlands based printer manufacturer Ultimaker, is very active in social projects as well as product development. As an important player of the market, the company started educational projects. In this regard, the company formed Ultimaker Education platform.
The company attempting to increase the presence of additive manufacturing in classrooms and universities across North America by providing a platform for additive-literate teachers to share resources, knowledge, and other useful content while maintaining ownership of their materials through Creative Commons Attribution, Share-Alike, and Non-Commercial licensing.
The Ultimaker Pioneer Program has already made its way across 21 states, with 58 educators from elementary school teachers to college professors—now listed amongst the ranks of educational 3D printing “Pioneers.” By encouraging these contributors to share resources such as 3D printing lessons, programs, labs, and classroom experiences, Ultimaker hopes that the ambitious program will facilitate collaboration and innovation amongst educators, eventually culminating into a series of modern curricula which teachers can use to effectively bring 3D printers into the classroom.
“Teaching 3D modeling and printing in our schools is a relatively new educational endeavor and faculty are on the front lines, figuring out the best methods of teaching as we continue to learn about the topic ourselves,” said Burton Isenstein, an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. “It’s smart to tap into what’s already happening in classrooms throughout the world and the Ultimaker Pioneer Program will help educators build a base of knowledge upon everyone’s experience.”