How we integrated equipment into the Engineering and Technology School in Saint-Petersburg

 

Why it’s important

Modern technological equipment amplifies not only production speed and profitability of enterprises, but also the quality of products. Therefore, modernization of production is important for the economy, and for convenience of each domestic-level consumer, as well as for further professional and industrial application of various products, which further contributes into the development of industrial standards and economy.

To work with modern equipment in high-tech production, we definitely need trained specialists, for all stages - design, launch, production, quality control, often even for operating the made products.

Training of specialists with broad-based technological knowledge and proficient in certain areas has become a priority for the best state and private educational institutions. In particular, introduction of additional programs in regular schools helps students with early profiling and choosing a specialty.

In this article, we'll tell about how we provided and installed equipment at the “Engineering and Technology School No. 777” in St. Petersburg.

 

About the establishment

Engineering and Technology School (ETS) No. 777 was established by the Education Committee of St. Petersburg on December 26, 2018. 

 

The Mission

This is a school with a focus on students who demonstrate creativity and outstanding abilities in technological fields. The teaching is done according to special programs using modern equipment, giving students not only general school knowledge, but also a set of initial skills and competencies for successful interaction with modern production of any form.

Students of the school often participate in numerous events, contests and subject Olympiads in Russian, Chinese, Spanish, biology, ecology, art, history, geography, mathematics, astronomy, social studies, and physical education. The students can also choose and take additional education courses.

“Our school is the educational ecosystem of the future, where children have the opportunity to show their talents and are not afraid to try their hand at something new, to make their first discovery. Our educational institution is a community of teachers, focused on laying the basis for engineering thinking in students, the development of a high-achieving personality. The school offers a clearly structured model of education with certain educational goals. The institution provides conditions for training and self-improvement, communication and creativity, as well as memorable and diverse leisure activities that suit every taste. ”

Vera Knyazeva,
Director of Engineering and Technology School no. 777
St. Petersburg.

Thus, the school prepares its students for life and work in a modern world filled with high technology. After graduating, having acquired a wide store of knowledge and skills, it will be easier for them to undergo further training in the chosen proficiencies, and find a suitable application for their talents, while the society will receive properly trained and motivated specialists.

 

School Curriculum

Besides the general education program, ITS No. 777 gives students the opportunity to study additional disciplines.

The supplementary education programs are as follows:

• Bio-Insight: research and trial activities in biological laboratories and wildlife;
• IT-Insight: Creation and exchange of IT-cases, development of comprehensible algorithms in a programming language;
• 3D-Insight: Project and creative activities involving 3D graphics and design;
• Energy-Insight: Students can explore their region’s energy system. A comprehensible model of processes and logic behind electrical engineering.
• Robo-Insight: Design and programming of robotic elements.
• Liberal arts: Educational content for human and social sciences.

Among other things, as you can see above, the additional programs of the school include robotics and mechatronics, 3D-prototyping and 3D-design, which is especially important in our age of rapidly progressing technologies.

 

Equipment and Facilities

The school uses:

• 7 computer labs
• 5 mobile computer labs
• 445 computers, 5 laptops and 90 tablets
• 80 touchscreen panels
• Robotics practice field
• 3 3D-claassrooms
• 3 digital labs
• 25 voting systems
• 5 telcon systems
• 50 document cameras
• Fiber optic internet 
• The school printing office is equipped with a printing complex, risograph and laminating machine
• 5 scriptoriums
• 6 classrooms with interactive projectors
• Cabinet of Astronomy with Starry Sky Dome
• Electronic shooting range
• Laser machining system for wood, metal and glass
• 80 MFD’s
• 3 fax machines
• 1 camera

There are also specialized classrooms, laboratories, workshops, gyms, two swimming pools, sports fields, including a soccer field, and much more.

 

Choice of Equipment

3D printing equipment was the subject of our cooperation. We delivered and installed several modern PICASO 3D Designer XPRO desktop FDM printers, Formlabs Form 2 resin 3D printer, full-color ProJet 260Plus and all related equipment.

 

3D Systems ProJet 260Plus

This is an inkjet full-color 3D printer that uses gypsum-based material. During the printing process, the printer applies various color components and binder, which allows it to print with 64 CMY colors. Read more about the technology and specifications of 3D Systems ProJet 260Plus on the printer's store page.

 

Why it was chosen

3D Systems ProJet 260Plus is one of the most compact and affordable color 3D printers, produced by a well-known and trusted manufacturer. Due to this fact, you don't have to worry about its operational capability and maintainability.

The main features of this printer:

• The most affordable color 3D printer of the series;
• High printing speed: 3.5 layers per minute;
• Color: 64 colors;
• Compact: 74x79x140 cm;
• Low cost of consumables;
• Capable of making very durable models;
• Excellent resolution;
• Brighter white color;
• High color rendering;
• Low cost of a print unit.

In education, clarity, colorfulness, and memorability are important - these are exactly the advantages offered by prints produced on a color 3D printer.

 

How it will be used

ProJet 260Plus will be used both in the process of directly teaching 3D printing, prototyping and modeling, and to create visual aid for other subjects studied at the school. Thus, all these processes can be combined.

The important thing is that the package includes manual needed for lessons on any topic, and not standard ones that usually come with equipment. 

For the educational process, this is priceless.

 

PICASO 3D Designer X PRO

PICASO 3D Designer X PRO is one of the modern desktop FDM 3D printers. It is equipped with a number of useful features.

 

Why it was chosen

Selected as one of the most modern desktop 3D printers, such devices 

 are something that you will surely see in inventories of various enterprises that deal with prototyping, visualization of new product models. Working with FDM is an important skill, so we decided to integrate 5 printers.

Features of the model:

• printing with two materials using a JetSwitch printhead, switching 5 s in normal mode and 0.25 s in draft mode (switching between filaments allows you to use two colors in a single print, or print with soluble support and filling material, which significantly increases the variety of complex geometric forms available for printing);
• print accuracy up to 1 micron, features a frame, precision mechanics;
• features profiles and light state indicators, control of the first layer;
• automatic bed leveling takes 50 seconds;
• can print with most of the available filaments;
• the ability to network printers as a single 3D farm from a single computer with Polygon X software.

 

How it will be used

The machine will be used directly to teach students how to use 3D printing equipment on the example of a modern 3D printer, in order for them to get acquainted with FDM (FFF) 3D printing and develop skills in working with it.

 

Formlabs Form 2

Formlabs Form 2 is perhaps the most famous and widespread desktop stereolithographic 3D printer in the world. It prints by curing liquid polymer resins with a laser beam with very high accuracy, unachievable to more affordable FDM printing.

 

Why it was chosen

This machine was selected as a reliable SLA 3D printer that has proven itself to numerous users, and is still considered the benchmark for desktop stereolithography, despite the emergence of more modern and larger models designed by Formlabs and other manufacturers.

 

How it will be used

The machine will be used to familiarize students with the technology of resin 3D printing. This knowledge will be useful to them in the future, when choosing professions related to the jewelry industry, dentistry, as well as designing and prototyping any products for which dimensional accuracy is important.

 

Back when 3D printing wasn’t a thing

Before the advent of 3D printing, the range of visual aids was limited to what can be purchased in specialized stores, ordered or made independently. This was not always enough for a convenient and visual presentation of the material during classes. In addition, standard teaching methods did not always fit in with modified and improved training programs, few can accurately foresee future developments and changes.

After the appearance of 3D printers in the schools’ arsenal, this problem disappeared - now teachers can prepare and print any visual aid or assign this task to students, which also contributes to their training in 3D modeling and 3D printing.

It also goes without saying that teaching children prototyping and 3D printing is not possible without 3D printers themselves.

 

How we set up a 3D printer

The printer was assembled at the place of its future work - in the modeling and prototyping class, where we had already set up some of its relatives - the X PRO and Form 2 as well as CNC machines.

Besides the printer itself, we also installed its proprietary station for cleaning printed parts.

We assembled the printer, set it up, loaded the first batch of consumables, turned it on and checked if it was fully operational.

We hope that our equipment will bring many benefits and help the school to give new generations of engineers, developers and scientists the initial knowledge they need, to make the first step towards understanding the world of technology.

 

In conclusion:

Without exaggeration, the training of young specialists can be considered one of the main priorities in education, since the development of industries is impossible without young ambitious workers. The economy is tied to industry, and the state of society as a whole.

Many educational institutions, whose activity profile is somehow related to production processes, have already finished, finishing, or planning to modernize their technical equipment in order to ensure high-quality growth in their learning processes and not to lag behind progress. They're doing their best in order to not be left out of the picture. 

A necessary step in this direction is the acquisition of modern production tools: 3D printers, 3D scanners, CNC machines of various profiles, molding machines, robotics as well as virtual design and visualization systems.

To create a modern collection of such equipment, contact Top 3D Shop - our specialists will create a project for equipping your organization according to the given requirements, select devices, prepare documentation, take care of supplying and provide excellent service.