New AIA Course on 3D Printing Helps Architects, Engineers, and Contractors Improve Project Speed, Affordability and Quality
Powerful Business Technology Offers Way to Quickly and Cost-Effectively Create Detailed Architectural Models on Demand
07/23/09

BURLINGTON, Mass., USA – Architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) professionals looking for economical new ways to improve their designs and market their services may benefit from a new course on “3D Printing for Architecture/Engineering/Construction.”

3D printing is a fast and affordable way to create detailed site, infrastructure, and building models from the very first stages of a project. It helps architects, engineers and builders collaborate, ensure accuracy, delight clients and speed projects to completion.

3D printing is a technology that automatically creates tangible physical models from 3D computer data in much the same way that a document printer produces business letters from a word-processing file.

The free 90-minute classroom course, developed by Z Corporation (www.zcorp.com) and registered with the American Institute of Architects, will be delivered around the United States on schedules set by participating Z Corporation authorized partners. The course earns AIA members 1.5 hours of Continuing Education System (CES) learning unit credit.

“Over the past few years, AEC firms and educational institutions have shown increased interest in 3D printing technology as a strategic tool to complement traditional visualization and modeling methods,” said Olimpio DeMarco, Z Corporation director of AEC business development. “This new AIA CES program will detail how 3D printing yields great designs, drives innovation, improves communication and wins new business.”

Unlike more time-consuming and expensive handcrafted models, 3D printed models are ideal for early massing studies, detailed design models, client presentations and regulatory approvals. For architects, engineers and builders themselves, 3D printed models help detect clashes, analyze systems and plan construction.

The AIA course includes an introduction to 3D printing, the printing process, its place in the design workflow, applications, case studies, data integrity, and scaling guidelines. Following the 90-minute course, attendees will examine a range of 3D printed physical models and see 3D printing in action.

Here is the first set of course dates:

* Aug. 5, Anvil Prototype & Design, Wilmington, N.C.
* Aug. 11, Peak Solutions, Portland, Oregon
* Aug. 19, Peak Solutions, Burbank, Calif.
* Aug. 24, Peak Solutions, San Bruno, Calif.
* Aug. 25, Microsol Resources, New York

Information on these and other “3D Printing for Architecture/Engineering/Construction ” courses can be found here: http://www.zcorp.com/en/forward/events.aspx?c=14

To learn more about the course, visit the AIA web site: http://www.aia.org/education/findcourses/index.htm.

About Z Corporation
Z Corporation makes products that enable users to capture, edit, and print 3D data with unprecedented speed, ease, versatility and affordability. These products include the world’s fastest high-definition 3D printers — machines that produce physical 3D models from digital data in multiple colors – and uniquely portable 3D scanners – handheld machines that digitize 3D surfaces in real time. Z Corp. technology is enabling a wide range of applications in manufacturing, architecture, civil engineering, reverse engineering, geographic information systems (GIS), medicine and entertainment.