We’ve already written numerous stories about 3D printers doing wonders for school classrooms, ranging from elementary all the way to graduate. Barring income discrepancies between schools, a 3D printer in every classroom may even be in store for the future. The folks at Zeni Kinetic (along with some of our regular readers) believe that one of the major barriers preventing the widespread adoption of our beloved technology in every school is the high cost of filament. Their solution? Make the filament free.
Zeni Kinetic manufactures colorful PLA in 1.7 and 3 mm spools. Offering high quality and premium grades, which have an accuracy and consistency of ± 0.1mm and ± .05mm respectively, Zeni Kinetic believes strongly enough in their filaments that all orders come with an unconditional, 90-day, money-back guarantee. They also believe strongly in the potential that 3D printing has for schools and non-profit organizations focused on education, arguing that 3D printers will provide valuable knowledge in the realm of STEM education and prepare students with the tools necessary to tackle the workforce. Zeni Kinetic argues, though, that “a normal FDM style printer can easily go through 1kg in a day or two. Initially getting that printer into a classroom is a monumental and costly achievement, and then schools must budget for filament, as well.”
For that reason, they have begun a pilot program that gives schools and non-profits large discounts on their filament. Institutions applying for the program can receive 200 kg of filament per month at discounts of 30-50%. “Pre-Qualified Pilot Participants” can even obtain filament for free through Zeni Kinetic’s grant program. With the company’s success, however, the amount of filament available for purchase at discounted rates could increase. That is, if freeloading for-profits don’t abuse the program first. The company states on their application page: “We ask that you respect the spirit of this program and not resell our discounted filament. Basically if this program is abused the abusers will be cut. If abuse is unmanageable we will be forced to cancel the program so please just be respectful and we look forward to helping you in any way we can.” If you are a for-profit, though, you can order your filament from Zeni Kinetic wholesale.
I like what Zeni Kinetic is doing and hope that more filament manufacturers will follow suit. Couple the Zeni Kinetic pilot program with charitable 3D printer manufacturers who donate their machines to schools, and we may have a future of genius, tech-hungry engineers on our hands.
Source: Zeni Kinetic
