MakerBot Launches Initiative To Bring 3D Printing To A Classroom Near You

  MakerBot, one of the leading producers of consumer-end 3D printers, announced on Tuesday the company has set a new goal: to put a 3D printer in every school in America. 

The initiative brings MakerBot into partnership with DonorsChoose.org, America Makes and Autodesk (News - Alert) in response to President Barack Obama's push to bring manufacturing back to the United States in his most recent State of the Union address.

 "3D printing has the potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything," Obama said. "We must ensure that the Next Industrial Revolution (News - Alert) in manufacturing will happen in America. We can get that done.”

 Getting that done, however, will require a great deal of charity and money when it comes to 3D printers. Anticipating this, DonorsChoose.org — a crowdfunding site for teachers — has promised to support the initiative. Thingiverse, MakerBot's online printing plan repository, announced it's launching a contest for the best math manipulation device — a vehicle to get students excited about 3D printers.

 MakerBot’s CEO Bre Pettis, a former teacher, said he's looking forward to bringing 3D printers into the schools, and has donated an undisclosed amount of money towards that realization.

 Teachers can enroll in DonorsChoose.org's program — which focuses on "high need" public schools — by registering for a MakerBot Academy bundle on the crowdsourcing website and stating what their intentions are with the 3D printer.

 The fact that MakerBot wants bring up an entire generation of students on 3D printers and 3D printing software — its 3D printers and 3D printing software — will only help the company's bottom line. Sure, the Brooklyn-based company's actions can be seen as altruistic — after all, everybody likes to be charitable on some level. It helps, however, when your donation can transform into a great investment.

 “A MakerBot is a manufacturing education in a box,” Bre Pettis said in the company's prepared statement. “We need to encourage our teachers and our youth to think differently about manufacturing and innovation. When you have a MakerBot Desktop 3D Printer, you see the world differently."

 That may be true, but it'll be through MakerBot-tinted lenses.

Edited by Cassandra Tucker