Two members of Akron Elementary School’s 3-D printing club, fourth graders Declan Carrothers, left, and Nash Mills, show off objects they’ve made through it. Fourth and fifth grade students are allowed to be in the club.

Text and Photos
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

AKRON — Akron Elementary School student Nash Mills likes “creating stuff.”

It’s why the fourth grader joined the school’s 3-D printing club.

In its second year, the program allows fourth and fifth grade students to make various small plastic objects.

Club advisor and Akron fourth grade teacher Chris Rassi said Akron Principal Scott Sterk asked him to start the extracurricular activity.

The school has received three printers through grants, with two more gifted from Pike Lumber Co. of Akron.

Rassi is leading two sessions of the club with eight students apiece this spring. Kids meet three times a week after school for an hour.

“During the club meetings, they get on a program … called Tinkercad and then they can build their module inside Tinkercad and then it goes into a program called Wiibuilder,” explained Rassi. “Wiibuilder pushes it out to the printers, and then they print from there.”

Students can pick the color of plastic that their objects will print out.

Rassi said the printing can take “anywhere from two to six hours” for items, with them often printing out after the club is done each day.

Mills has made a crocodile, basketball and a fidget toy so far.

He said he hopes to make another fidget toy and wants to be in the club again next year.

Another club member, Declan Carrothers, also a fourth grader, has made an elephant, a fidget toy and a name tag.

“I want to make a piano,” he added.

Carrothers added he joined the club “to learn how to make more things with my 3-D printer that I have at home.”

Rassi said the club is meant to make 3-D coding “normal” for students.

He said he wanted to have students “do more advanced things” in the future such as projects with moving parts.

Rassi said he hoped the kids enjoyed the club and got “used to some coding-type things and … to the science behind a lot of the reasons why 3-D printers are becoming a new way to go.”

Two of Akron Elementary School’s 3-D printers create objects in Akron fourth grade teacher Chris Rassi’s classroom. Rassi leads the school’s 3-D printing club.

One of Akron Elementary School’s 3-D printers creates a heart-shaped jewelry box.