GE Donates 3D Printers to Hundreds of Schools, Colleges

Image: XYZprinting.

As part of the GE Additive Education Program run by General Electric (GE), more than 400 K–12 schools and eight higher education institutions across the United States will receive free 3D printers, metal printing machines and other supplies to help students build skills in computer-aided design and additive manufacturing.

GE plans to send a desktop polymer printer package comprised of the Polar 3D and XYZprinting printers to primary and secondary schools later this year, according to a news release. These schools will also receive a two-year license to use the accompanying STEAMtrax curriculum; six rolls of filaments per printer; and a hands-on module kit called “Tinkering with Turbines.”

Image: Concept Laser.

Additionally, the company chose eight colleges and universities to receive metal printing machines (retailed at about $250,000 each) made from Concept Laser: Auburn University; Boston University; Iowa State University; North Carolina State University; Ohio State University; University of Cincinnati; University of New South Wales; and the United States Naval Academy.

The GE Additive Education Program is working to develop pipelines of future workforce talent to the additive manufacturing industry worldwide. At the beginning of the this year, GE committed to investing $10 million over the next five years to educational programs aimed at developing future additive talent. The next application window for the program opens during the first quarter of 2018.

Further information is available on the GE Additive Education Program site.

About the Author

Sri Ravipati is Web producer for THE Journal and Campus Technology. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.

  • AI microchip under cybersecurity attack, surrounded by symbols of threats like a skull, spider, lock, and warning shield

    Report Finds Agentic AI Protocol Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks

    A new report from Backslash Security has identified significant security vulnerabilities in the Model Context Protocol (MCP), technology introduced by Anthropic in November 2024 to facilitate communication between AI agents and external tools.

  • laptop displaying a red padlock icon sits on a wooden desk with a digital network interface background

    Reports Point to Domain Controllers as Prime Ransomware Targets

    A recent report from Microsoft reinforces warns of the critical role Active Directory (AD) domain controllers play in large-scale ransomware attacks, aligning with U.S. government advisories on the persistent threat of AD compromise.

  • educators seated at a table with a laptop and tablet, against a backdrop of muted geometric shapes

    HMH Forms Educator Council to Inform AI Tool Development

    Adaptive learning company HMH has established an AI Educator Council that brings together teachers, instructional coaches and leaders from school district across the country to help shape its AI solutions.