West Delaware High School purchased  a 3D printer through the Foundation for the Future of Delaware County grant at the end of the 2015-2016 school year.

Teacher Librarian Stephanie Stocks said she wants all “students to have access to the technology” because 3D printing is used heavily in business today.

Stocks discovered Tinkercad, a free online 3D program, and taught herself how to use it, in preparation for helping her students.

“The program is really easy with pre-made shapes you can put holes through and morph,” Stocks said.

The machine itself runs like a hot glue gun. It melts down the polylactic acid filaments, made up of biodegradable plastic, which is printed one layer at a time. Depending on the size, 3D printing can take 20 minutes to five hours.

“I am excited to see where students’ creativity will take us with the 3D printer,” Stocks said.

Students are welcome to sign up for a Hawk Time where Stocks will help students learn how to use the 3D printer and Tinkercad.

“I can look at them (the designs) to let students know if they will print well or not,” Stocks said.

Teachers Jodie Bramel and Joan Salow hope to assimilate the 3D printer into their classes. Bramel has incorporated the printer into her Marketing class by printing mini versions of her students’ final projects, and Salow hopes to print complex joint prototypes from her students’ designs in Anatomy and Physiology.

“This is totally new, and we are just starting thinking and planning,” Salow said.

Students were thrilled to hear about the new printer.

Sophomore Tyler Salow ran down to the library when he heard about it and started printing.

“I printed an entire puzzle cube,” Salow said. “Now I am working on a stacking toy,” Salow.

Junior Tristan Voelker printed a key chain. Unhappy with his first attempt, he redesigned it, making the key chain thicker.

“Now I am working on an ornament for the top of the (library) Christmas tree,” Voelker said.