My 3D printing courses have been such a huge success, the kids absolutely love them.

It’s a five day course that will run Monday – Friday, from 9am-5pm each day, and it’s all about 3D PRINTING FOR INNOVATION!!

The week will be structured all around a design challenge during which we will take time out to each BUILD their own 3D PRINTER that they will take home to keep at the end of the week!

We will be cramming loads of fun into the week and using my interactive design challenge method to answer the questions:

What is the role of the 3D printer in Innovation?
When and how is 3D printing used for problem solving, prototyping, and testing as a Design Engineer?

Check out my launch video below…

In this jam-packed 5 day course, young aspiring inventors and engineers will learn what 3D printers are, how they operate, the basics of how to use CAD & control the printers, and, most importantly WHY 3D printers are useful and their place in the iterative design process.

Each participant will learn the basics of CAD (Fusion 360) and the software to control what the 3D printer does (CURA). They will also each build and learn how to service their own 3D printer which they will then take home to keep at the end of the week.

This is no ordinary course!

My course is not just a normal 3D printing course though, that would be boring… my course is all about using 3D printers to help with my favourite thing in the world… innovation.

Anybody can do a load of tutorials and teach themselves how to run a printer, but WHY? What would be the point of it?

Here’s where my course is different – I am so excited to share with you how I use 3D printing in my real life work as an inventor at one of the leading technology companies in the world, and how you can apply that process to innovate solutions to problems you might come across in your own life, and in the lives of those around you.

The summer course was so great. My son is still playing with the design tools and enjoying being able to print other things. It’s really helped him become more self sufficient as he heads up to senior school.

Joanna

COURSE CONTENTS

I am going to take you through the whole innovation process that I use both in the lab at work with my team, and while I’m working on my own projects at home in my workshop.

We will start right from the beginning with nothing but a with a blank sheet of paper and a problem, all the way through to the end of the week when we will have looked at multiple potential solutions and ended up with a fully functioning prototype, which we will test and evaluate.

We will cover every aspect of the iterative design process. We’ll look at:

Design skills

What innovation means
The Double Diamond Design Process
Human centered design
Design mindset
How to understand a design brief or a problem from the perspective of a client
How to brainstorm and come up with ideas
How to work collaboratively and problem solve as a team
How to communicate our ideas with others through sketching & presentation skills
Prototyping for problem solving
How to test and evaluate our solutions
The huge importance of failure in the design process
Iterations and how to fail forwards
Materials and sustainability in 3D printing

Hardware skills

How to build an Ender 3 3D printer
How to calibrate, service & look after the printer
How to clean up parts and get the ready for assembly

Software skills

Basics of FUSION 360 (The CAD program we use to 3D model parts)
Designing for 3D printing
Basics of CURA (The program that virtually slices the parts to be printed)

By the end of this amazing fun week with me, you will be equipped to observe the world around you, spot things that could be improved or problems that need solving to make life better or make things happen more efficiently, know how to come up with loads of ways to try and solve the problems or improve things, how to choose which ideas to test out first, how to go through the process of prototyping and using your 3D printer to assist with that, how to test and evaluate your solutions and see what works, what doesn’t work and how they could be better, and how to improve and iterate your designs until you eventually have a working prototype for your idea. You will also have the skills to sketch and annotate your ideas and communicate them to others.

You will be well on your way to becoming an inventor!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What age do I need to be for this camp?

This 3D printing for innovation 5 day course is aimed at young people aged 10-17 years.

We will be working on CAD (Computer Aided Design) as well as focussing on specifications and settings to get the printers working optimally. In addition we will work collaboratively as a group to identify potential solutions, bouncing ideas off one another.

How big will the groups be?

There may be some parts that are in one whole group, but in the main groups will be no more than 6 . Each group of 6 will have an allocated leader that will work with them for the whole week, and even if the groups combine into a larger group for portions of the day, the group leader will still stay with their small group to support.

Who will teach this course?

The course will be delivered by me! I am Innovation Ben and you can find out all about me, my work as an inventor, and my experience teaching children and young people in the launch video above (or click HERE).

To help me, I will also have an additional group leader for each group of 6 young people.

I am DBS checked, and first-aid qualified, and all additional adults will also be DBS checked. You can read our child protection & safeguarding policy here.

Do I need any prior experience of 3D printing?

No. This course is suitable for beginners.

If you’ve used a printer before, this course will still be 100% beneficial to you and your journey. I pride my on being able to take anyone with the skills and abilities they have and help push them onwards and upwards. Because we are framing the course all around a problem to solve, it means we can simply add more detail or a higher level of resolution to your design ideas.

I’ve already got a 3D printer, is this for me?

Yes! Absolutely, not only can you get a £200 discount on the course cost but you’ll have a head start that will allow me to help you go deeper and further in your understanding of CAD,part & product design as well as printing itself. I’ve been doing this stuff for a while now so if you’ve been having issues with your printer I can help fault diagnose what’s happening and get you back on track.

You’re more than welcome to bring your printer with you, there’s plenty of space 🙂

What do I need for the course?

You will need to bring a laptop with you on which we can install Fusion 360 and Cura (3d model slicing software). You are welcome to install both programs ahead of time, links to both programs below.

These programs have certain system requirements for your computer.

Check out THIS LINK for Fusion 360.

Check out THIS LINK for CURA. (If you’re laptop can run Fusion, it can easily run Cura.

For context, my laptop is around 6 years old and is more than capable of running the software. If you have any questions, please reach out to me. We will have at least one spare laptop, possibly 2 so if there are issues, we can almost certainly sort it out.

You will also need a sketch book and pencil.

What will I take home?

As well as a radio controlled car and a brand new roll of filament, during the week long course you will build and commission a fully functioning Ender 3 FDM 3D printer. I’ve used all sorts of printers over my career but these are the easiest and most reliable to operate and work with on a daily basis, just look them up, you won’t be disappointed!

It can print PLA, ABS, TPU, and PETG with a build volume of 220x220x250mm.

You will take your 3D printer home with you at the end of the camp to continue your innovation journey!

You can upgrade to an Ender 3 pro for £30 extra :

Sturdier base plate
‘Silent’ 32- bit motherboard (certainly a useful upgrade!)
Improved y axis

You can upgrade to an Ender V2 for £80 extra :

All the updates of the Pro
Tempered carborundum glass bed for repeatable adhesion, and easy removal
HD Colour screen
Adjustable tensioners on X- and Y-axis and a rotary knob to the Bowden extruder to manually load filament if desired

In addition to the printer, you will have learnt the basics of Fusion 360 and Cura, and you will be able to continue your learning and access tutorials at home up to more advanced levels. This is the foundation upon which you can build a lifelong career or even start a small business printing parts.

You will take home any models and prototypes you create during the week.

If you would like a certificate of completion at the end of this course we can email you one to print – just ask

If you would like to use this course as the “learning a new skill” element towards a Duke of Edinburgh award, please let us know and we will be happy to fill out the relevant paperwork for you 🙂

Where is it held?

UTC Reading, a fantastic venue, easily accessed within a few minutes from the M4. Plenty of free parking and spaces to work remotely inside whilst your young inventor brings their ideas to reality.

Is there parking at the venue?

Yes, there is plenty of space for you to park and no charge for parking.

Can I get there on public transport?

Yes. UTC Reading is very easily accessible via public transport and is only a few minutes walk from Reading mainline railway station. There are also local buses running regularly and taxi companies.

What about food?

We do not have the option of a catered lunch at this event, so you will need to bring a packed lunch, or alternatively you are welcome to arrange a local lunch via a delivery company such as deliveroo or similar.

Can I stay overnight?

This is a non residential day camp, and we do not have the option of overnight accommodation. However, there are plenty of options locally for accommodation including hotels, bed & breakfasts, holiday parks, glamping, and camping!

Can I be dropped off early/picked up later?

Absolutely! We know that many parents are still working through the school holidays, so they are welcome to drop you off from 8am, and pick you up as late as 6pm. Please get in touch ASAP to arrange this.

Is there anywhere locally my parent/guardian could work while I am busy inventing stuff?

We know that many parents are not able to take the holidays off work, so if your parents are still working remotely and don’t have to physically go to work, but still need to be working, they are very welcome to work from UTC Reading. There is plenty of space for parents to work with a laptop, lots of quiet corners for skype or zoom calls/ teams meetings etc. We can provide a wifi connection, and we will even provide free tea & coffee for them while they work.

Can I pay in installments?

Yes! You can book and secure your place with a deposit and pay the balance in installments with the full amount due by 1st October 2021.

What is your cancellation and refund policy?

The initial £250 deposit is non refundable. The reason for this is that for every participant, we buy a 3D printer, and all other course materials as soon as you are booked onto the course. The remainder of any balance paid is refundable as follows:

10/10/2021 – 50% refund

20/10/2021 onwards – no refund