Dremel Introduces DigiLab Suite with 3D45 Printer for More Advanced 3D Printing in STEAM Education

First known for its rotary power tools, and then for being one of the first nationally recognized brand names to adopt 3D printing, Dremel continues to impress with its focus on education. Recently, Dremel announced a partnership with Workbench, an online sharing platform for project-based learning, so the two could share new methods for learning and teaching. Not only does it connect students and teachers to Workbench, but it also allows users of Dremel’s new DigiLab 3D45 printer to enrich STEAM learning by sharing 3D printing projects and curriculum.

This week, Dremel has officially introduced its DigiLab digital fabrication product suite, debuting its 3D45 printer, which will enhance Dremel’s digital products and services ecosystem.

John Kavanagh, President of Dremel, said, “Dremel DigiLab takes the timeless traditions of making and meshes them with the future of digital creation. Learners using the 3D45 will bring creative visions to life with the reliability of the Dremel brand’s storied maker tools.”

Dremel knows that in today’s world, learners and educators need quality tools that can make it easier to connect physical making and building with digital ideation. The DigiLab suite and 3D45 printer help to continue expanding the Dremel brand from the workshop to STEAM classrooms everywhere for a focus on education in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. The 3D printer was specifically designed for experienced high school and higher education classes, to help students “visualize and create complex projects.”

“Our five 3D40 printers in the College of Engineering makerspace have about 800 hours of use per unit, totaling 4,000 hours of printing. Dremel printers can stand up to the constant flow of students making parts for their projects. We are excited about this next level of manufacturing with the 3D45,” said Eric Schmidt, Director of the College of Engineering Makerspace at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The 3D40 also saw some use in our offices as we tested it out last year, showing its versatility for educational use. The new 3D printer, which was put through 10,000 hours of testing before its release, was built upon the company’s dedication to empowering makers through creativity and project enjoyment, and gives students the confidence they need to design and build their own lesson models. It works with multiple types of filament, like Nylon and EcoABS, thanks to its heated bed, and is the only 3D printer with RFID auto-recognition of expanded filament types and the need to adjust printer settings; this feature gets rid of the file re-slicing that’s typically necessary for different filament types.

The 3D printer’s design is simple and accessible, and it comes with instructions and real-time analysis. Thanks to its integrated camera, teachers can remotely manage builds on multiple 3D45 printers. The machine was developed for safe classroom use, with UL certification and Bosch sensor technology, a full enclosure and advanced motion control for less noise, and a removable build platform for easy print job removal. Other features include:

• Full color touchscreen
• USB port for offline printing
• 10″ x 6″ x 6.7″ build volume
• High quality extruder
• 100 micron build resolution
• Semi-automated leveling for fast, accurate calibration

Jared Vanscoder, Program Manager of Autodesk Education Experiences, said, “The 3D45 provides the flexibility and reliability needed to meet the demands of higher education makerspaces. Whether your lab is developing prototypes for innovative biomedical devices or sculptural works of art; the 3D45 quickly produces accurate print models in a safe, easy to use package.”

Dremel will introduce the full DigiLab suite for learners in makerspaces later this year, but the DigiLab 3D45 is now available for pre-sale; it will be fully available this September.

Below, you can take a look at a video from Design Make Teach of the DigiLab 3D45 in action at last month’s ISTE 2017 conference and expo:

Discuss in the Dremel forum at 3DPB.com.

[Images: Dremel, unless otherwise noted]