Wenatchee Valley Museum to Offer Class on 3D Printing, Modeling

3D printers are notoriously frustrating, but worry not, because these fickle devices can be managed - and even mastered!

Starting next Tuesday, the Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center will be offering an informal course on the ins and outs of 3D printing. The course, which cost $50 per student, will be led by Mark Van Horn, a retired engineer who for 41 years was involved in 3D printing on an "industrial level."

"There are three main things I'm going to teach," Van Horn says. "I'll explain how to operate a 3D printer. I'll also talk about 3D modeling, and then, how to take advantage of the unique capabilities of 3D printing."

Upon moving to Wenatchee in 2020, Van Horn crafted an exhaustive proposal for a course he wanted to teach. The proposal initially stalled, but late last year he was approached by the museum. (Van Horn's wife is a museum volunteer.)

"It's not a graded course," Van Horn clarifies. "I'll be assigning homework, and I'll take a look at the homework and make comments, but it's a non-credit course. It's really just intended for people who have an interest in doing this, who want to do this."

This is essentially a pilot program; therefore class size is modest. Van Horn will be instructing about six pupils, all of them high school-aged. This allows for a favorable student-to-printer ratio.

Per Van Horn, there are a couple of open spots remaining. Aspiring technicians, of whatever stripe, are encouraged to apply, but act fast because the application deadline is April 22.