3D printing is by far one of the most interesting and happening technological advancements that mankind has seen in almost a decade. 3D printing has proved to be a booming industry in the west and in most developed countries. But in India and other developing countries, 3D printing technology adoption is a bit slow. Given the 1.2 billion population, 3D printing shall provided Indians with lot of opportunities and also improve Indian economy.
It is an inevitable truth that there is a lot of scope for this technology in India and also a lot of opportunities to teach this science to the people. The sole problem in the entire thing is the capital. To teach 3D printing technology to the masses require huge capital and as India is a developing country, neither government of India nor individuals have that kind of funds to train individuals on 3D printing technology.
The key essential component for learning this technology is a 3D printer. No matter what the statistics say, buying a 3D printer is still an expensive affair for a common Indian man (keeping in mind the average Indian income). Unlike in United States of America and many other developed countries, where kids have access to 3D printers in school, colleges and universities in India, only few colleges have 3D printers. Inspite of all these odds, there are few companies that are offering 3D printing courses in India. Below is the list of those companies.
Tutor3D
The website was started as a joint venture between two companies Kidopia Venture and df3d. The main aim of the website is to bridge the gap between learning and resources that are essential for learning the basics of 3D printing. It also aims to bring 3D printing into the educational sector mainly for children between the age groups of 8-16 years. Currently the representatives of the venture are trying to convince some of the students of the various schools and other educational institutions of the country to participate in the 3D printing classes offered by Tutor3D.
The venture offers courses in two levels. Each course is of three months. These are the services that are being provided by tutor3d.com:
- Learn modeling tools for 3D printing
- Learn design processes
- Incorporate 3D printing into an existing project
- Learn basic sciences with models
- Explore mathematical modeling
- Define a custom curriculum for individual school / colleges.
One of the co- founders of the venture Deepak Raj said, “The greatest designers are the ones who explore design at an young age. There is no better skill than the one that provides child with the ability to understand the technologies that will pave the way towards the future.” Another co-founder of Tutor 3D Samarth Rao said, “Children when exposed to such tools and training at an young age can get more avenues to utilize those skills in the course of their career path and also explore their infinite creativity”.
The reason behind this venture is quite clear from the talks of one of the co- founders Samarth Rao. He said, “The very concept of being able to create a physical model out of any creative thought appeared interesting. Moreover, the industry is opening out in a big way worldwide and the future of 3D printing seems very attractive, not just in terms of the industries that would have applications out of 3D printing, but also with respect to the jobs and other opportunities that it would create.”
MDS 3D:
The organization aims to create awareness among people as well as organizations in India regarding this technology and the perks that come along with it. The company keeps a track of the recent developments in the industry and is very persistent in incorporating those new ideas into their own working so that they can help their clients in the best possible way.
The company is equally passionate about knowledge generation and increase the understanding that people have regarding this new technology. The company conducts many trainings and seminars which last for one or two days. These seminars are conducted for giving the people a general idea of what 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing actually is. Apart from this the company also holds three days seminars which are intensive courses or the master level courses for 3D printing.
Think3D.in
The company claims to be the largest 3D printing platform in India. There are reasons for it to feel so, the company has signed a partnership with the big shots of the 3D printing industry like the iMakr company. With the collaborative efforts from iMakr think3D is supporting 3D printing entrepreneurship in India. Think3D also functions like the incubator for iMakr in India.
The company works on four levels.
- News Portal – Covering all the latest 3D printing news
- Online Store – For selling 3D printers, filaments and spare parts
- Print of Demand – For customers who want a 3D prototype of their designs
- Training Platform – To provide training on 3D printing technologies.
The company on a very frequent basis organizes seminars and training workshops in India.
BotzLab.com
This is an online company that on request goes to various schools and colleges with a 3D printer to demonstrate the actual working of a 3D printer. The company educates interested students in batches. The company claims to offer the best live workshop on 3D printing for “future technologists”.
As Indians emphasis a lot on education right from childhood and every year lakhs and lakhs of engineers are being churned out of all the engineering colleges that mushroom all around India, the company is hopeful that 3D printing as a specialization will soon be offered in the engineering syllabus. In the past we have seen that in Australia a two year degree program is being offered by four universities QUT in Queensland, the University of Wollongong in NSW, the University Medical Center Utrecht in the Netherlands and the University of Würzburg in Germany. In the near future we are hopeful that in India too there would be full- time courses on 3D printing in the various universities and colleges.
Sources:
http://www.inside3dp.com/tutor3d-new-initiative-introduce-3d-printing-students-india/
http://www.mds3d.in/about/
https://www.think3d.in/about-think3d-india/
http://botzlab.com/portfolio/workshops/