Page 13 - FIS World June 2021

The Joy of Making
FIS 3D Printing Club growing by leaps and bounds
It seems impossible, but four years have already passed since the 3D Printing Club (3DPC) was established at FIS. It was during the 2017 Applefest
when then students, Ben E. (‘20) and Jesper K. (‘20), introduced the FIS community to the club and Ben’s home-built 3D printer,“Frank,”short for Frankenstein. The support that the community showed the newly- formed group was immense and thanks to a generous offer from FIS Head of School Paul Fochtman to match any funds raised, the club soon had enough to purchase not one, but two Prusa printer kits, which the students named “Uta” and “Klaus.”
Collaboration and student-to-student mentoring is at the heart of what the FIS 3D Printing Club seeks to achieve.
From there, things accelerated. The club started printing key chains, plaques, luggage tags, and other products for the school’s student organizations, sports teams, teachers, and community members. The club bought a third printer, “Pippa,” then a fourth,
“Joe,”andfinally“Kötty”wasaddedinDecember2020. Even with five printers, there were periods of time when all of them were running for most of the day. The human side of the club continued to grow as well; the club now boasts more than 20 members representing Grades 6–12.
Just before the winter break this year, the club showcased its third 3D Printer Build Day in the Upper School’s Tech Deck. Some club members worked to assemble the new printer while others
refurbished one of the existing machines. Students completely disassembled, cleaned, replaced parts, and reassembled“Uta”in preparation for the printer’s relocation to the new ACE Center at FISW, so it would be brand new and ready to be put to work. There are plans in the works to have FIS 3DPC members share the knowledge they have gained in the 3D Printing Club with students and teachers at FISW to strengthen the information flow between the two campuses. This collaboration and student-to-student mentoring is at the heart of what the FIS 3D Printing Club seeks to achieve.
That mentoring mindset is also what helped Grade 11 student Collin to print and paint his own Iron Man helmet. His mentor, Nathan, who will graduate from FIS this year, assisted him with creative problem solving and Fusion360 CAD work. Together they successfully designed, printed, assembled and painted the helmet. Collin, who has completely caught the “making” bug, has since added Arduino controlled LED lighting to his helmet. His new found confidence in printing, painting and coding has motivated him to create an Iron Man glove complete with a motion-activated LED. Collin often works on his projects during free periods and on more than one occasion has said, “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done. I would never have had this opportunity
at my old school.”
At FIS, we create a world of opportunities for students and the 3D Printing Club is just one of them. Thank you for supporting us and helping us to spread the joy of making!
Nichole Foster
FIS Upper School Teacher
Members of
the 3D Printing Club perform maintenance
on one of their five machines during 3D Printer Build Day in the Upper School (left and top center); a Grade 11 student shows off his custom 3D-printed Iron Man helmet and prototype glove (bottom center and right).
June 2021 FIS World 11