ABOVE: Fairmont's Children’s Librarian Michele Nelson with software and equipment used by the 3D Print Design Sessions on Wednesday at the Martin County Library in Fairmont. During the month of December the library has launched a new program which allows students ages 10 and up a chance to design and 3D print objects like the ones visible on the table.

FAIRMONT- During the month of December educational groups are organizing or have organized multiple programs which introduce area students to 3D printing. The sessions can help students become more familiar with the technology and different aspects of STEM education as a whole.

3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, allows one machine to manufacture a physical representation of countless digital models. Once a 3D model has been designed it’s fed into a program that slices the model and generates the assembly instructions which can be understood by the printer. Once these instructions have been generated the printer creates the object using an extruder mounted on a gantry which deposits thin layers of plastic filament on top of each other.

Right now the technology is more commonly used by enthusiasts or in commercial settings but in the past decade the cost of printers and filament has decreased making the technology much more accessible.

The first program was a series of weekly sessions held over the course of December by the Martin County Library in Fairmont. During each session children and their parents could drop in and be given a general overview of 3D printing as well as the software used to design objects with the printers. After a short lesson participants could then design and print a small object such as a bookmark or a backpack accessory.

Funding for the library’s purchase of the 3D printers was provided by a grant from the Martin County Youth Foundation which was received earlier this year. While many other libraries offer 3D printing as a service to regular members, the Martin County Library has yet to evaluate this as an option.

“We haven’t really talked about it a whole lot so I don’t know if that would be a possibility,” said Martin County Children’s Librarian Michele Nelson.

The second program is offered by Martin County KnowHow and will be held at Fairmont Elementary School on Dec. 28. This three hour course is designed to give students in grades three through six and their parents a more thorough introduction to 3D printing where they can select and print objects from the internet in between instruction and work sessions. Martin County KnowHow first held this program last year and is currently looking for ways to expand their 3D printing education programs. As of Wednesday morning six sign up slots were still available.

The novelty of 3D printing is believed to be a major driver for participation because these programs may be the first time both children and their parents have had a chance to try using the technology.

“You can do (crafts) anywhere but this is something that they’re not really getting a lot of anywhere,” said Nelson.

Unlike other kinds of educational programs, programs using 3D printers allow students to create a wide variety of items from scratch, allowing participants to be involved in each step of the design process while appealing to wider audiences.

“It’s great for kids because not only are they learning some of the (engineering) skills but it’s also getting them interested, it’s getting them excited, and it’s grounding it in something they care about. It goes from ‘learn this because you can get a job someday’ to ‘learn this because you want to print out a copy of your favorite video game character,” said Martin County KnowHow instructor Sam Viesselman.

“It’s something they haven’t done before so I think a lot of the kids are really enjoying designing stuff because they’re doing it all from start to finish … it’s something a little bit different but they do get something fun out of it,” said Nelson.

Both Nelson and Viesselman believe their programs will help students get a head start using a technology which will become more commonly used in the future but have differing opinions regarding how commonplace they will become.

“I know a couple of farmers who have 3D printers and they’re using them to print parts for machinery. … (I think) they will be something that will become a lot more popular and more affordable for people to have in their homes,” said Nelson.

Viesselman also thinks 3D printers will become more popular but notes the models currently accessible to the average consumer can only create objects using soft plastic, a material with somewhat limited applications.

“It’s something that’s on the horizon but it’s really the economics and … the price of technology has to fall. … It’s coming but for how many people and for how long it’s hard to say,” said Viesselman.