Gainesville residents and students can take baby steps into the world of 3-D printing with a new course a local technology company is launching on Thursday.
Florida Tech Toybox Inc. and Santa Fe College Continuing Education are offering a new course titled “Introduction to 3-D Printing,” which will introduce students to the basics of design software and how to create a 3-D piece for printing, said Mark Davidson, president and founder of Florida Tech Toybox Inc.
He said one of the goals of the class is to “lower the fear barrier” some people experience when learning new technology.
The class will be held at the Santa Fe College’s Center for Innovation and Economic Development, located across the street from The Continuum apartments, and the course will cost $175. Registration is currently open, but space is limited to 16 people. The course is four weeks long and meets once a week for two hours.
Janalyn Peppel, owner of Powder Coating of Gainesville, who helped organize a series of workshops on Thursday regarding 3-D printing, said when she discusses 3-D printing with people in the community, they often don’t understand the process or the possibilities.
Oliver Klicker, a 21-year-old UF alumnus, said he has used 3-D printing in the process of creating his artwork and to fix his skateboard.
“It’s really going to be the future,” he said.
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 6/17/2014 under the headline "Gainesville technology company to launch 3-D printing class]
