Education

Addmio launches 3D Printing for Entrepreneurs online course

Addmio, a Netherlands-based 3D printing e-learning company, will be launching its first educational course today, titled 3D Printing for Entrepreneurs. 

Based entirely online, the course condenses 5 years of experience on the 3D printing industry shop floor in 3 days. Robin Huizing, founder of Addmio, sought to create the course in order to address the lack of high quality, application-focused educational materials for 3D printing businesses today. He comments,

“If there’s one thing that can make an impact in our industry right now it’s education, that’s the reason I started Addm.io. I want to do for education what Autodesk did for CAD software”

Available via Kickstarter on Monday, May 4th at 9 am PT, users can gain access to the 3D Printing for Entrepreneurs course by pledging $89 or more.

The 3D Printing for Entrepreneurs course on mobile. Photo via Addmio.
The 3D Printing for Entrepreneurs course on mobile. Photo via Addmio.

Application-focused learning

Previously, Huizing has worked as a 3D printing engineer at 3D printing marketplace and service bureau Shapeways. There, he operated various 3D printers from the likes of EOS and 3D Systems, and led a number of research projects. Huizing then went to become an Additive Manufacturing Designer at Metal PBF system manufacturer Additive Industries, where he was responsible for designing and printing internal designs and demonstrator parts, coordinated benchmark prints, and more. 

In his roles within the 3D printing industry, Huizing has also gained extensive experience teaching and training people in 3D printing. This has required him to deliver presentations, lectures, workshops, and masterclasses on topics like Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM). Huizing states however, that these educational models were outdated: “After a while, I realized that I was not making a difference. These ways of sharing knowledge were not scalable.”

As such, Huizing began researching different training programs and courses, and came to the conclusion that most of these courses were often lengthy, on location, and costly. On the other hand, cheaper alternatives made sacrifices on their level of quality, and only contained general information.

In response, Huizing founded Addmio to deliver affordable, application-specific courses that can be accessed anywhere, at any time, using a browser on Desktop or Mobile platforms. Its accessibility for people around the world at the same time means that Addmio has been able to keep the costs of the course low, according to Huizing.

As Addmio’s first course, 3D Printing for Entrepreneurs aims to help users create successful 3D printing businesses. It will teach them how to select the right applications for 3D printing, and will use specific examples to demonstrate these use cases. 

As well as the course, Addmio is also offering 3D printable files and a Startup support program. Through the program, the company plans to help startups that use 3D printing by providing them with a tailormade Advisory Report with tips and advice that addresses their specific challenges. 

Files for 3D printing. Image via Addmio.
Files for 3D printing. Image via Addmio.

Educating 3D printing

Many 3D printing companies have turned towards creating educational resources for businesses and entrepreneurs in order to speed up the adoption of the technology. 

For example, last year Boston-based 3D printer manufacturer Markforged launched its Additive Manufacturing University program. Containing workshops, learning exercises, on-site training and resources, the program aims to accelerate the adoption of 3D printing, while also closing the knowledge gap between additive design and operations for manufacturers.

Phillips Corporation, a Maryland-based supplier of industrial machinery solutions, has also launched an additive manufacturing training service called MyAM that aims to increase the use of 3D printing among federal facilities. 

UK-based 3D printing curriculum developer PrintLab offers lessons, teacher resources, and online courses on 3D printing for schools, non-profits, consultants, and training programs.

The nominations for the 2020 3D Printing Industry Awards are now open. Who do you think should make the shortlists for this year’s show? Have your say now. 

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Looking for a career in additive manufacturing? Visit 3D Printing Jobs for a selection of roles in the industry. 

Featured image shows the 3D Printing for Entrepreneurs course on mobile. Photo via Addmio.