Pick and choose from our growing library of 3D printing resources to make assistive technology, homeware, architectural models, sculptures and much more

Do you have 3D printing equipment at your makerspace and want to maximise the potential and usage of this amazing technology? Our learning platform can assist you in both training your staff and teaching your members how to design and make unique products for your local community.

PrintLab's '3D Printing Industry' mini course.

Mini Courses

Mini courses are based on informative video content or step-by-step tutorials. They help you to build foundational knowledge in 3D printing and technical skills in 3D design software using Tinkercad or Fusion 360 software (both free for personal use).

PrintLab's 'Tactile Games' project learning platform.

Projects

Projects guide you through each stage of the design process to make specific types of products in the fields of assistive technology, customised product design and STEM. They include a brief, background information, 3D design tutorials, portfolio templates and instructions on implementing various design methods such as user interviews, brainstorms, idea sketches, product evaluations and more.

Challenges

Challenges are live briefs where you have the opportunity to design creative solutions for real organisations and people. They are broad and open-ended, giving you complete freedom in both the product created and the design process undertaken. Our first 2 challenges are based on assistive devices and homeware, with many more to be launched in due course.

Train the trainer

Begin by training your makerspace staff by allowing them to participate in a range of mini courses and projects themselves – giving them the skills and confidence to be able to facilitate your members in their learning journey.

Online Learning

Select a resource, generate a share link and send it to your members to give them one-click access to the learning platform. No logins required! Then watch as they design amazing products that are manufactured using 3D printers at your makerspace.

Workshops

With our education licenses, each resource comes with a teacher instructions tab, which provides you with step-by-step instructions to deliver the content in a workshop/classroom setting. As you go through the resource sections, the teacher instructions update accordingly.

Monthly Content

Keep an eye on the PrintLab Library as we’ll be adding content each month, so there will always be something new to learn!

“

The kids loved it and we actually managed to get a working whistle at the end! One of the kids has been so keen on it he convinced his Dad to buy a 3D Printer kit and they spent the weekend building it together!

Stuart Lawn, FabLab Manorhamilton

“

I enjoy PrintLab because it offers a feel good goal of assisting people in our community and all over the world, while building necessary universal 3D development skills and concepts. I use PrintLab courses to certify adult patrons who wish to use the library’s 3D printer independently, as well as to teach in 3D printing summer camps for children and teens. This is a valuable tool for every public library that wishes to provide beneficial knowledge with a purpose to their community!

Ceima Kemaldean, Olds Municipal Library

Frequently asked questions about PrintLab

Start a free trial

Absolutely not! PrintLab is suitable for complete beginners with no experience in 3D design and 3D printing. Our resources range in difficulty so you can work your way from beginner to advanced level.

To make the most out of your PrintLab experience, you'll need access to a 3D printer, filament and a computer. In terms of software, you can either use Tinkercad (for beginners) or Fusion 360 (for intermediate-advanced users). Both options are developed by Autodesk and are completely free to hobbyists.

PrintLab was built as a flexible library of resources that you can pick and choose from depending on your interests, skill level and personal preference. We do however have a pathway of resources that we recommend for those who are new to 3D design and 3D printing. We call this the 'Fundamentals Pathway' and information on participating in this pathway is provided in the user guide, which can be accessed upon signing up to PrintLab.

After many discussions with instructors, we opted to keep PrintLab as a quick-access training toolkit with no accounts/logins for makerspace members. They simply click the share link provided to them to access the chosen resource learning platform.

With our standard teacher license, you can generate a share link for up to 3 resources at once. This means you can teach multiple workshops and/or distribute multiple resources online for members to work through at home. You can unshare resources at any time and select a different resource to share. A share link allows up to 35 students on the learning platform at any one time.

If you have multiple instructors or require more than 3 share links, you can opt for our site license. This gives you UNLIMITED teacher accounts and each instructor can generate UNLIMITED share links. *Please note that all instructors must be part of the same individual site location and all licenses expire exactly 1 year after the first license is activated. For multiple sites, please email hello@weareprintlab.com for bespoke pricing.

View License Options

Of course! We offer makerspaces a full 7 day free trial. Click the link below and head to the teacher license trial to get started.

Start a free trial

Pick and choose from our growing library of 3D printing resources to make assistive technology, homeware, architectural models, sculptures and much more

Mini Courses

Projects

Challenges