Want to learn about 3D Printing - Try MIT Media Lab’s Mediated Matter's Course on 3D Printing

Want to learn 3D Printing and that too fast? Try out the course by MIT Media Lab's Meditated Matter group. The course is a collaboration with London’s Royal College of Art (RCA) Exploring Emergent Futures platform. Also, FormLabs, a MIT startup in the field of 3D printing has also associated with the project.
According to the course synopsis: “The MAS.500 Principles of Computational Design and Additive Manufacturing module will explore making through the lens of design, with a specific focus on designing for additive manufacturing. We will familiarize students with CAD software and computational design tools with which to create their own projects throughout the course of the module. Additionally, we will explore computational design and digital fabrication across multiple fields, including architecture, biology, and mechanical engineering. Students enrolled will gain insight into processes of digital and physical form finding and acquire skills that will be applicable across scales and disciplines. Students will be expected to complete a final video project linking the assignments for each session to demonstrate their understanding of the material.”

The sessions included hands-on tutorials in the Mediated Matter Lab space and the direct usage of various different prosumer 3D printers in Fused Deposition Modeling and Stereolithography 3D printing technologies such as the Makerbot Replicator 2 and Formlabs Form 1 machines. Given the speed of the course, as per the session schedule below, the results are on one hand exceptional, and on the other encouraging, as in it is indicative that when approached in the right way, desktop 3D printing and the surrounding skill set required for efficient usage can be learned in a short span of time.