Students get trained in 3D design and printing!
Today’s school children will grow up in a world which –in terms of technological developments–contemporary adults would find difficult to conceive, even in their imagination.
We are already witnessing the utilization of innovations that cause admiration because of the future they herald. One of these innovations is three-dimensional design and printing, whose applications extend, among other things, to such projects as the construction of bridges.
Given our sensitivity towards initiatives that educate young people preparing them for tomorrow’s reality, our Nea Efkarpia plant organized 3D design and printing seminars on its premises for primary, secondary and high school students.
3D printing is a state-of-the-art technology that makes it possible to create objects through multiple successive layers of material, usually much thinner than one millimetre.
The seminars, which are part of the actions that support the areas in which the plant operates, were planned and developed by professors of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh), in collaboration with the Department of Automation Engineering of the Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki.
The seminar workshops covered all stages, from the analysis of the requirements of a project and its design to the printing of its components in 3D printers. Thus, students had the opportunity to get acquainted with practical applications of sciences such as mathematics, physics, engineering and computer science & IT, and at the same time develop creative skills and problem-solving abilities as well as a business mentality. The students’ training was provided by experienced tutors, associates of the Laboratory of Machine Tools and Manufacturing Engineering of the School of Mechanical Engineering of the AUTh.
In preparation of the seminars, our plant managers contacted the school administration departments of all neighbouring communities as well as parents and guardians associations to inform them about the action and invite the students’ participation, which was offered free of charge. Our plant assumed all implementation costs for the programme.
About 300 primary, secondary and high school students participated in the programme.
And there was more to follow: the same programme was offered a few months later for the children of TITAN and INTERBETON employees.