The Architecture department at Kasetsart University in Thailand has a new farm of Ultimaker 3D printer. With it, students can now quickly visualize their concepts and the University has a new educational facility for the public to learn additive manufacturing.

Until recently, students at Kasetsart University’s architecture department in Thailand used traditional resources for model making. An endeavor that requires significant time and effort. But no more, with the university’s latest acquisition of 17 Ultimaker 2+ 3D printers.

Set up with webcams and single-board computers, the new farm is accessible via the cloud. A step up in time savings, the process best captures their work since it is the literal physical model of their digital counterpart.

However, the technology isn’t just for student use. The university offers 3D printing enthusiasts the chance to join community events outside of class hours, every second Saturday of the month.

Kasetsart University Ultimaker Print Farm

To set the lab up, the university turned to Septillion, Ultimaker’s local service partner in Thailand. This local team of specialists put the new print lab together in only three days. And at a cost of under $2,000 (excluding the Ultimaker printer units). The company claims it is the first Ultimaker cloud-enabled 3D printing farm in South East Asia.

Spread across a handful of tall aluminum frames inside the Digital Prototyping Lab, each printer is mounted on a rack and outfitted with a camera and computer for web monitoring and networking.

Plugging into this cloud network, the architecture students can remotely upload, manage and monitor their work. All while freeing their hands for other tasks in their studies. Further still, Septillion’s cloud system allows for the easy addition of further printers into the cluster.

Anyone familiar with the quirks of 3D printing filament will know the effect humidity can have on certain filaments. PLA is the most common, and also happens to deteriorate beyond usability in a humid atmosphere. Which is pretty much the only atmosphere in Thailand.

To counter this, the department developed an environmental control system. In addition to keeping print materials usable, it has the added bonus of removing the fumes given off during the printing process. All in all, a great atmosphere for learning (yes, pun intended.)

Source: Ultimaker Blog