I’m a huge advocate of 3D printing in schools. I feel as though our future workforce will be better prepared for a future where additive manufacturing and 3D printing replaces more traditional means of prototyping and manufacturing, if they are presented with the resources needed at an early age. The more our kids know about this up-and-coming technology, the better off this world will be. It’s only a matter of time before the majority of schools in the developed world have access to 3D printers. One day in the near future, it is possible that each and every classroom will be equipped with one or more 3D printer.

In China, 3D printing is really taking off. It’s hard to say for sure, but the Chinese seem to be right on par with, if not actually further ahead of, the US and Europe when it comes to 3D printing. Perhaps they don’t have the large industrial level 3D printer manufacturers, but they have a plethora of interest in the technology.

One company, called Winbo, has been at the forefront of 3D printing in China. They manufacture a line of several different desktop 3D printers, of very high quality. That’s not all though for Winbo. They, like myself, believe that educating our youth about the potential that this technology can provide, will go a long way in ensuring long term success. Just recently Winbo launched the very first 3D printing technology college, located in the Baiyun District in Gungzhou City.

Ms. Suki of Winbo Industrial Co. Ltd. tells 3DPrint.com that it is the very first 3D printing college in China. It may actually be the first of its kind in the entire world, and it may just be a sign of things to come. The Baiyun Winbo 3D Printing Technology College consists of three different sections:

1) 3D Printing Teacher Training Center

2) 3D Printing Research and Development Base

3) 3D Printing Student Practice Base

“3D printers are a great way for schools to really engage their students in the learning process and offer many advanced possibilities in college

for a variety of disciplines,” Ms. Suki tells 3DPrint.com. “Every school will need to integrate 3D printing to ready our next generation for their future careers. So in the future, the students will create more good things that can help themselves and the company save money & shorten time by the 3D Printing Technology.”

Ms. Suki tells us that they believe the benefits of 3D printing in school include the ability to capture students’ interests, stimulate their interaction in class, create tangible teaching aids, and provide a hands-on learning experience through the use of 3D models.

The Baiyun Winbo 3D Printing Technology College will aim to provide students with an education that they can take into the workplace environment for companies that are currently utilizing 3D printing or wish to do so in the future. It should be interesting to see how popular this school becomes and if other schools like it open up elsewhere around the world. It’s just a matter of time, and Winbo appears to be the first.

What do you think? Should there be more 3D printing colleges opening up? Do you believe that the technology is at a point where an entire curriculum could be built around it? Discuss in the Winbo 3D Printing College forum thread on 3DPB.com. Check out some more photos from the college below.

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