MakerBot Donates 3D Printers in Ongoing Commitment to Make 3D Printing Accessible for STEM Education and Youth Development

MakerBot, a Stratasys company (Nasdaq: SSYS), today announced its ongoing commitment to making 3D printing accessible to more students with the donations of the MakerBot SKETCH, MakerBot METHOD X, and MakerBot Replicator+ 3D printers and 3D printing materials to several organizations that support underserved and low-income communities across the United States. Si Se Puede Foundation, Kihei Elementary School, Manatee Children's Services, Inc., HATCH Workshop, and The Steam Foundation are expanding their youth development and STEAM initiatives with the addition of MakerBot 3D printing solutions.

MakerBot provides one of the most comprehensive 3D printing ecosystems for education. MakerBot offers a full suite of connected hardware and software solutions that address the wider needs of educators to deliver a better learning environment. Educators can harness the power of the largest collection of 3D printing lesson plans and a highly engaged community on MakerBot’s Thingiverse platform and the only ISTE-certified 3D printing training programs, MakerBot Certification. MakerBot’s easy-to-use and reliable 3D printers and library of 3D printing and design thinking content allow educators and students to unlock the opportunities with 3D printing.

The Si Se Puede Foundation, located in Arizona, offers programs and opportunities to underserved communities to become more proficient in STEM. Si Se Puede is building a STEM center that offers 3D printing for students who do not have access to these types of programs at their schools. The new center will also be available to groups that need a place to hold workshops and other activities.

“In every population that is not currently engaged in the 21st century economy, it’s our belief that at least 15% can become engaged in it. The STEM center was designed to fill a need in the community and that is to bridge the STEM divide that exists in our community,” said Faridodin (Fredi) Lajvardi, President/CEO and STEM Director at Si Se Puede Foundation. “Learning how to use 3D printing is becoming increasingly essential as the technology becomes more widespread in the workplace. Our METHOD X 3D printers have been running constantly for a range of applications, from our robotics team creating prototypes and end-use parts for their FIRST Robotics Competition robot, to working with other nonprofits to modify toys so that children with limited physical mobility and dexterity could play with those toys. We also plan to offer MakerBot Certification training programs for teachers and students to certify them on the SKETCH 3D printers. We want to teach students how to use 3D printing and empower them with the skills they need to be prepared as they enter the workforce of the future.”