The demands for the technical talents is increasingly expanding with the improvement of social productivity and the rapid growth of all industries, which makes the requirements on colleges and universities to deepen teaching reform and accelerate the cultivation of the complex technical talents. With regard to the cultivation of innovative technical talents, the colleges and universities have tried some new education models with the support of the Ministry of Education in recent years. School-enterprise cooperation has been one of the new models for the development of school.

3D printing, as an emerging technology, is continuously developing in various field in a deep-going way. It plays a supporting role in the training of technical talents in universities. Nowadays, more and more colleges and universities are introducing 3D printers to establish laboratories or innovation center to develop students’ new technology, new thinking and innovative abilities, making the effective integration and connection between disciplines and practices,courses and professional standard, theory and market.

Flashforge has learned more about the education market in recent years and is committed to the application of 3D printing in the education field. It has been applied in thousands of primary schools, secondary schools and colleges at home and abroad.The Student Innovation Center(3D Printing) in Shanghai Jiaotong University is one of them, which has more than 20 Flashforge GuilderIIs Printers.

In November, Flashforge and Shanghai Jiaotong University further launched the school-enterprise cooperation - The 2020 “Flashforge Cup”, 3D Printing Innovative Design Competition, to promote the popularization and application of 3D printing innovative design method and advanced production mode, improve students’ 3D design and innovation ability, stimulate students’ enthusiasm and zeal for innovative exploration, and select excellent design works.

This 3D Printing Design Competition has two themes - “Green Life, New Design, Easy Print” and “Industrial Design Exhibits”, from which students can choose one of them. From the themes, we can deeply considerate the subject development and market application, clarify the two major directions of market practicality and subject professional application, fully test students’ comprehensive professional ability and product practicality.

The works of students in the competition show us the development trend of 3D printing technology both in the application of daily life and professional subject field.

In the design of life supplies, 3D print plays a significant role in prototype design. The 3D printing technology breaks through the limitations of traditional methods, developing by three-dimension digital without the need of opening mold and is more fine to produce some key parts. For example, the “Charbox” integrates the functions of storage, charging and heightening. Through 3D printing, it can produce an integrated products and quickly put into market.

        Another design is about the RV. Students are inspired by 3D printing and design the integrated unmanned RV, which predicts the future life of 3D printing technology.

The applications in disciplines and professional fields, from the outer space to the deep ocean, make us see the exploration of technology, such as bacteria ozone patch ball, Long March 5 wind tunnel test, detachable display model and new type fast deep-driving dual hydrofoils, etc.. The 3D printing technology can effectively design and produce the isometric miniature models, thereby completing experimental verification in related fields, reducing the experiment difficulty and cost, which can offer more chances for students from theory to practice.

In the new trend of school-enterprise cooperation, it can greatly mobilize the advantage resources between schools and enterprises, bring the subject education in line with the market and have good effect on cultivating complex technology talents. The 3D printing technology is a favorable tendency both for teaching and students’ practice for technical subjects.

Flashforge, a professional 3D printing company, supports the cultivation and development of  innovative technical talents for future, and will also activate more ways of school-enterprise cooperation, making 3D printing better benefit the applications of disciplines and talent training.