Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/214203
EDITOR'S NOTE | NIKKI KALLIO n k a l l i o @ i n si g h t o n b u si n e ss. c o m Welcome to the next dimension For you Trekkies out there (and I'm talking Next Generation) – think about when Capt. Picard goes over to the replicator and orders his tea, Earl Grey, hot. And the tea comes out Earl Grey, hot. Well, the future is here (almost). Enter 3D printing, a technology that's been around for a while but is getting more popular, more mainstream, and more simple. It doesn't make your tea for you (yet), but the principle is kind of the same. You can design an object you want using a computer program, hit "print," and the 3D printer will "print" your design – layer by layer, using material like plastic. The technology is becoming so affordable that people are using 3D printers at home, such as to make art and fashion accessories. The Register reports that McDonald's is considering using 3D printers to appease children with alternative Happy Meal toys if they don't like their first choice. And yes, the Earl Grey might not be far behind. Being a "digital cook" is actually a thing now. 3D Printing Industry says Piq Chocolates in Austin, Texas, is printing custom chocolate designs. NASA awarded a grant to study 3D printed meals for astronauts. Google headquarters is printing custom-made pasta for its employees. There is even discussion of meat products. Yeah. In this issue of IOM, we look at what some area technical colleges are doing to boost their 3D printing programs to meet the growing demand from New North businesses, which are seeing this technology as a way to provide custom, inexpensive solutions for their clients (see Cover Story, page 8). The need to constantly evolve technical education goes hand-in-hand with the need to attract students to those classes. Developing interest in a manufacturing career can start early and simply, such as in a math class. The Get Real Math program (see Education & Training, page 14) partners educators with manufacturers in a video project offering up a math problem that manufacturers might encounter in the course of their daily work. The project demonstrates to students how math problems show up all the time in "the real world" and encourages students to try to solve some of those working situations. But the coolest thing about these videos is they answer the questions that I asked in probably every math class I ever took: a.) Why do I need this? b.) What am I going to use this for? c.) Who uses this stuff? Now students have that real-world connection. Speaking of connections, about 200 area students and educators had the chance to visit the Manufacturing First Expo & Conference on Oct. 31, talking with manufacturing exhibitors and asking questions about manufacturing careers. These face-to-face opportunities offer valuable chances to learn about the types of careers that are out there and what students need to do to prepare for them. After all, the future is coming. F w w w.in s i g h t o n m f g . c o m November 2013 • Insight on Manufacturing |7