The Courtyard Institute has provided a humanized education space near the Forbidden City in Beijing. Its purpose is to promote traditional Chinese culture while simultaneously recognizing technological advancement and international perspective. The program includes educational courses where enthusiasts can explore China’s past, present and future lifestyle, and compare it with other cultures.
3D printing is set to play an active role in 2015. In a courtyard rife with historical significance, Tiertime provided 10 UP Plus 2 3D printers for a 3D Printing Workshop. Limited to 10 students per session, each participant has a dedicated machine. Lecturers from America, India, and Austria will teach the course material. Study subjects include 3D design, 3D modeling, and 3D printing.
Students range from children to 30-year design veterans yet to incorporate 3D printing into their workflow. Depending on season and age group, courses can last between three hours and an entire day. Everyone has opportunities to design and print their creations.
Instructor Leandro Rolon said, “Compared to previous activities by the Courtyard Institute, the 3D printing workshop provides more advanced technology and an international view. The collision between new technology and traditional culture can inspire splendid spark.”
The UP Plus 2 was perfect for the workshop. Many of the students were young, and even the adults were inexperienced. UP’s easy-to-use software flattened the learning curve. Furthermore, during three-hour sessions, only one hour is dedicated to printing, so the printers had to be quick enough to get the job done.
“Tiertime was an obvious choice. First, lecturers with an international background expect to cooperate with a local 3D printer manufacturer in China and Tiertime is the country’s leading enterprise in 3D printing. Second, after testing some different brands, the UP Plus 2 distinguished itself with easy operation and stable performance. I have worked in the 3D printing field for over 10 years and have used various internationally famous 3D printing brands for some large projects, but I am still amazed by the performance of Tiertime’s UP Plus,” said Rolon.
He continued, “I already knew about the UP Plus 2’s quality because Make Magazine had selected it for easy operation and best user experience for two consecutive years. Later, I found students could operate the unit regardless of their background or experience.”
Rolon was particularly impressed by an eager seven-year-old. Despite his age, he was fascinated by domestic and foreign architectural design and wanted to print Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater, a custom home in Pennsylvania built in 1935, designated a US National Historic Landmark in 1966.
“I was amazed by his strong interest in Western buildings. We assisted his completion of the 3D model replica and printed a miniature Fallingwater,” said Rolon. “His smile reminded me of the value of 3D printing.”
The workshop regularly produces projects like the Fallingwater model. The instructors firmly believe 3D printing is suitable for any age and education level. An ordinary person interested in 3D printing can learn the required skills, convert their imagination into reality, and improve their personal and professional value. The program fully realizes the Institute’s goals of inspiring creative concepts from an international and domestic perspective and enhancing a desire to learn about unfamiliar fields.
After participating in the course, students naturally develop an interest in the design and printing process. Since the first class began on May Day in 2015, the Institute has successfully launched 15 more 3D printing workshops and the total number of students is over 150.
As China’s first high-tech enterprise dedicated to R&D, production and sales of industrial and desktop 3D printers, Tiertime has learned the 3D printer market thrives on step by step technology reform. As new products continue to achieve worldwide success, Tiertime will keep innovating and improving, always striving to be a global industry leader and carry the torch for changing “Made in China” into “Intelligently Made in China.”
