The Design and Technology Association adds a new Dimension to regional support centres

Published 13th October 2008


The Design and Technology Association adds a new Dimension to regional support centres

Dimension 3D Printing, a business unit of Stratasys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSYS) has announced that The Design and Technology Association has purchased nine Dimension BST 768 3D Printers for its regional training and support centres. The Design and Technology Association is the recognised professional organisation representing all those involved in design and technology education and its associated subject areas. The organisation will use the printers to provide training for teachers and students and to promote CAM and the integration of CAD/CAM and electronics in schools.

The Dimension BST printers will enable users to produce high-quality ABS plastic models directly from CAD designs. Funding for the printers has been provided by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA), the national agency responsible for the training and development of the school workforce.

The printers will be used within two ongoing curriculum and professional development projects currently managed by the Design and Technology Association on behalf of the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The CAD/CAM in Schools (www.cadinschools.org) project ensures that all UK secondary schools have access to CAD/CAM, and the Electronics in Schools Strategy (www.electronicsinschools.org) project aims to raise standards in electronics learning and teaching. Over the next three years these programmes will be merged into a new ‘Digital Design and Technology’ programme. The Digital Design and Technology regional support centres will provide teachers with the training and resources necessary to continue to develop this aspect of the curriculum.

The Design and Technology Association expects approximately 600 qualified and trainee teachers to benefit from training on the Dimension printers during year one. Following this initial phase there will be further opportunities for schools, Initial Teacher Training (ITT) institutions and other organisations to access the machines.

“There are a number of developments in the national curriculum, including the new Engineering and Manufacturing and Product Design diplomas and the STEM agenda (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) which aims to develop the next generation of scientists, engineers and technologists for UK industry”, says Richard Green, CEO of the Design and Technology Association. “These all provide opportunities for using integrated CAD/CAM and electronics to produce innovative, engaging and motivating designs. The addition of the 3D Printers to our regional centres will enable us to continue giving teachers and students the skills they need for the 21st century design and technology curriculum.”

”Design and Technology is an exciting and rapidly evolving aspect of the national curriculum and 3D printing plays a valuable part in this”, says Jon Cobb, vice president, Dimension 3D Printing. “We hope that our relationship with the Design and Technology Association will continue to develop, enabling us to provide even greater numbers of teachers and students with access to this technology.”

Notes to editors:
Design and Technology Association – www.data.org.uk
TDA – Training and Development Agency for Schools – www.tda.gov.uk
CAD/CAM in Schools – www.cadinschools.org
Electronics in Schools Strategy – www.electronicsinschools.org
STEM agenda - http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_9653.aspx

About The Design and Technology Association
The Design and Technology Association is the recognised professional organisation representing all those involved in D&T education and its associated subject areas
With a commitment to securing, developing and augmenting D&T in all sectors of education and society the Association aims to achieve this by:
• developing a curriculum which engages young people in designing and making in order to create quality products and prepare them for citizenship in a technological society
• engaging young people in investigating and evaluating products and their applications and through looking at the associated values
• enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in D&T
• developing positive links with other curriculum areas, especially science, mathematics and art and design
• working with industry and commerce to ensure that the benefits of such experiences permeate the curriculum at all levels
• influencing society around us and bringing increased recognition of those involved in designing and making
The Design and Technology Association is financed through membership fees, support from charitable foundations, industrial sponsorships and income generated through project management, publications, courses, conferences and consultancy.

About Dimension Printing
Dimension 3D Printing is a business unit of Stratasys, Inc., based in Minneapolis, Minn. Dimension 3D printers – which include the Elite, the 1200es Series and the 768 Series – are networked, desktop modelling systems that provide CAD (Computer-Aided-Design) users a fast, office-friendly, low-cost alternative for building functional 3D prints. Dimension 3D printers build accurate models layer by layer using durable ABS plastic, allowing users to not only evaluate design concepts, but test 3D prints for functionality, form and fit. As the first large format desktop 3D printer that sells for less than £15,000, Dimension incorporates many key features found in modeling systems that cost tens of thousands of pounds more.