3-D Printing and its Applications in Schools and Libraries

The hot topic this past year around my school was "3-D printing".  When I see the sheer number of articles on schools using 3-D printers, it comes as no surprise that they are in high demand for student use.  My county's local paper just recently ran an article (you can read it here) titled "KG Students Make Magic with 3-D Printer".  The article explained that a drafting class at the high school designed and printed a bow tie for the principal to wear to the graduation rehearsal.  It turned out great and really brought some recognition to those students and the level of technology that they are using today.
As the robotics coordinator for King George County, I have seen the 3-D printers in action at other middle schools (we even had one at our recent summer camp) but until recently, our school was not one of the lucky ones.  Lo and behold, my assistant principal came to me with a grant from Northrup-Grumman and said, "They will give us up to $2500 for something technology-based....what do you want?" and I immediately said, "3-D printer!".  It's set to arrive next month and will be the first one in a county school.  We settled on a FlashForge printer because that is the one we used at camp, and it's reviews are outstanding.  
So this topic could not have come at a better time because I'm actively trying to learn as much as I can about 3-D printers and design before ours arrives!  The first article I read--"Cool Products for Teaching", had some great ideas of introducing code writing to students.  Because we implement the LEGO Mindstorm robotics program with all 330 of our seventh graders, the students are introduced to code writing along with robotics.  But I like some of the programs and apps that she describes and believe that those programs would be a good introduction to code for the novice student.
Chad Sansing makes a good point in his article "Coding Skills Empower Us All" when he writes that teaching students to write codes doesn't mean that each of those students has to go into technology as a career.  However, when we teach all students to use code, we give them the opportunity to use it more efficiently in the future or to advance their skills in a future career, if they choose.  Teaching all students to develop their coding skills will only benefit them in a world that is becoming more technology-savvy every day.
I think that 3-D printers should be welcomed with open arms to any and all schools and libraries that can get one.  They are a perfect tool for exposing students to writing code, 3-D design, and graphics.  Who knows how many students will be inspired to take more science and math classes because they love using their school's 3-D printer?  The effects of 3-D printing can branch out through all content areas and achievement levels.

References

Tahnk, J.  (April 27, 2015).  "Cool products for teaching kids how to code".  Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeana-lee-tahnk/neat-products-for-teachin_b_7138030.html

Cook, P.  (June 9, 2015).  "KG students make magic with 3-D printer".  Retrieved from http://journalpress.com/king-george-and-dahlgren/king-george-news/4400-kg-students-make-magic-with-3d-printer

Sansing, C.  (May 11, 2015).  "Coding skills empower us all".  Retrieved from http://www.slj.com/2015/05/technology/coding-skills-empower-us-all-the-maker-issue/#_

LEGO Mindstorm homepage (2015).  http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/?domainredir=mindstorms.lego.com