3D printing is quickly taking over the old-age methods as we knew them, and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon. Instead, the vast opportunities still unexplored in this dimension are unlimited.
It’s no wonder that with 3D printers becoming more accessible, more and more people want to hop on board.
Safe to say, better late than never. But with that, 3D printing isn’t a piece of cake. You need the right guidance, no matter the purpose of venturing into this field.
I’ve compiled a list of the best 3D printing courses in 2023 to help you sail through the process.
3D Printing Courses for Beginners
Leave the technicalities to the creators; these courses lay down the fundamentals for anyone and everyone.
Even if you’ve never heard of 3D printing before, these courses are IT for you.
Introduction to 3D Printing: An Easy Start to Your First 3D Design by Lauren Slowik
- Creator: Lauren Slowik
- Platform: Skillshare
- Length: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Enroll here
This course gives you a headstart into the world of 3D printing, even if you have zero prior knowledge.
Besides the art of 3D printing using the software itself, it’s a primer for other topics, including illustration, design, and photography, to name a few.
The creator of the course, Lauren Slowik, is a tech and design specialist. Having worked with big names like Apple, the UN, Etsy.com, etc., the course also brings a panel of industry leaders and professionals you’ll learn from.
More than 16,000 students have benefitted from this course.
From understanding the fundamentals and sketch designing to design incorporation in free software and the practicalities of 3D printing, this course gives you a beginner’s walkthrough of the process.
The 3D Printing Revolution by Aric Rindfleisch
- Creator: Aric Rindfleisch
- Platform: Coursera
- Length: 10 hours
- Enroll here
3D printing isn’t just about the practicality of designing and printing. Instead, you’ve to start at the beginning of it – grasping the basics of 3D printing and why it continues to become more significant.
And so, lo and behold! This is a 10-hour primer of an extensive 4-course 3D printing and additive manufacturing specialization offered by the University of Illinois.
Such is the contribution of this course in learning 3D print that Class Central listed as one of the top 50 MOOCs of all time!
The course will introduce you to the 3D printing industry with illustrative videos demonstrating how 3D printers work, the objects you can create, and the future potential of 3D printing.
With that, you’ll also get to interview experts and participate in hands-on activities. By the end of it, not only will you have expert know-how, but you can venture into creating 3D prints.
3D Printing: From Start to Finish by Kevin Volo
- Creator: Kevin Volo
- Platform: Udemy
- Length: 5 hours 31 minutes
- Enroll here
Where most courses teach 3D printing in a manner still too complex for a novice, this course lays down the basics in the simplest way possible.
You’ll only have to spend around 6 hours to step into the art of 3D printing and start making your own prints.
Over 3,000 students have participated, and the reviews can’t seem to stop praising the course for its curriculum and teaching methods.
While the course is $99.99, it’s a fair trade in exchange for lifetime access to on-demand videos and articles on every topic needed for an introduction to 3D printing.
From choosing a printer and learning its functions to utilizing slicing software and creating your prints for the final version, there’s a lot this course offers.
Advanced 3D Printing Courses: Create your 3D Models
You can’t rush into printing without getting accustomed to the design process behind it.
After all, the better the design, the better the outcome. Not a design student? Don’t fret about it, with these courses to the rescue.
Autodesk Fusion 360 Integrated CAD/CAM/CAE by Autodesk
- Creator: Autodesk
- Platform: Coursera
- Length: 12 hours
- Enroll here
This course is the second part of five courses in CAD and Digital Manufacturing Specialization, helping you become accustomed to the digital product designing ecosystem using Fusion 360.
Let’s not forget that the creator of this course is Autodesk – a global, multinational leader in design and technology across various fields.
With an overall 4.7 rating, you’ll be learning the latest trends and techniques along with intermediary CAD foundational concepts from experts.
It will introduce you to Fusion 360 software and includes multiple exercises to form a practical base to the 3D designing process.
The course includes modules on:
- Sketching and modeling on Fusion 360
- Sculpt and sheet metal design
- Rendering, animation, and drawing your design displays
- Simulation in design process
- CAM and 3D print resources
From Sketch to Model: Designing for 3D Printing with Blender by Gesa Pickbrenner
- Creator: Gesa Pickbrenner
- Platform: Skillshare
- Length: 54 minutes
- Enroll here
Want to dive into the art of 3D printing jewelry, and maybe even kickstart a business?
This course is what you need to get a solid grip on the fundamentals of 3D designing and modeling!
Gessa Prickbenner, a freelance artist and designer, extends her expertise through a beginner-level course. Here’s the best part: you only need the basics – a computer, Wi-Fi, mouse, pen, and paper!
Even if you’re starting from scratch on design softwares, the course will guide you through it.
Besides a beginner’s tutorial in open and free software for 3D creation – Blender, you’ll also learn tips and tricks of the creative process and printing resources to transform your ideas to reality.
Designing in Tinkercad for 3D Printing by PrintLab
- Creator: PrintLab
- Platform: PrintLab
- Length: 23 minutes
- Enroll here
Tinkercad 3D modeling software has been revolutionizing the 3D printing industry since its launch back in 2011.
The software boasts free yet versatile features for designers and engineers. If you haven’t used it yet, you’re missing out on diverse 3D printing potentials!
PrintLab offers a course that provides informative video-based content on utilizing Tinkercad for your 3D design needs, along with the best practices used by industry specialists.
That’s not all, though. You’ll also be digging into tips for high standard prints for a variety of designs.
The course will cumulatatively cover the following topics:
- Overhangs
- Bridging
- Wall Thickness
- Orientation
- Tolerance
- Engraving and Embossing
- Bed Adhesion
- Fillets for Strength
- Sharp and Narrow Points
- 3D Printer Maintenance
Professional 3D Printing Courses
Already through with the groundwork of 3D printing? Time to start stepping up your game.
With these courses and a little practice, you might just become a 3D printing guru sometime soon.
Additive Manufacturing: Optimizing 3D Prints by Rich Cameron and Joan Horvath
- Creator: Rich Cameron and Joan Horvath
- Platform: LinkedIn
- Length: 1 hours 27 minutes
- Enroll here
Now, hold up. While this course goes into depth of 3D printing, it starts with the basics before jumping into more complex topics.
From creators of Nonscriptum LLC – a 3D printing edtech, this 1.5 hour course with 38,000+ students offers 3D printing hacks you wish you knew before for beginners and amateurs alike.
Where learning 3D printing can get overwhelming, this course breaks it down into easy-to-absorb lectures that provide information on popular 3D softwares, including Cura slicer, basics of 3D printers, and advanced printer settings from A to Z.
Not only that, but you’ll acquire the secrets of running custom commands, something that’s essential for advanced 3D printing.
Overall, you’ll be producing unparalleled 3D prints when it comes to quality once you’re done with this course.
Introduction To The World Of FDM 3D Printing by Steven Mosbrucker
- Creator: Steven Mosbrucker
- Platform: Udemy
- Length: 23 hours 22 minutes
- Enroll here
Whether you’re convincing yourself to get an FDM printer or trying to figure it out, this course can introduce you to everything relevant to it.
Coming from a mechanical engineer and part-time 3D printer, Steven Mosbrucker leaves no stone unturned concerning an ultimate guide to FDM 3D printing.
Over 600 students have enrolled in this course and left nothing but praises on the course’s detailed content.
Introduction to FDM printers, current trends, and features, how to choose a printer, pros and cons, possibilities and limitations in printers; these are just some of the topics the course offers.
Other subjects touched upon in the course include slicer basics and 3D printer functionalities and settings.
Generative Design for Additive Manufacturing by Autodesk
- Creator: Autodesk
- Platform: Coursera
- Length: 26 hours
- Enroll here
To start 3D printing on an advanced scale, you have to learn the design process too.
This course is yet another created by Autodesk to contribute toward teaching the craft of 3D design.
With this, you’ll explore geometry creation from the basics to 3D modeling.
Using Fusion 360 as the primary learning software, you’ll get to understand the workings and creatives it takes to produce 3D designs.
Additionally, this course takes you through the mindset behind generative designing and instilling them in your workflow.
The course syllabus includes understanding the fundamentals of generative design, setting up a generative design study, creating a basic design, and working with the outcomes in Fusion 360.
Slicer Mastery Course by 3D Printing Institute
- Creator: Institute of 3D Printing
- Platform: Institute of 3D Printing
- Length: 12 hours
- Enroll here
Knowing how to slice your model before printing and get the right settings is crucial for successful prints.
So, if you want to master it to further explore the 3D industry, this course’s name says it all.
3D Printing Institute has gone above and beyond in terms of pulling apart slicers’ 400 settings and walking you through them.
You’ll get insights into different types of slicers, the pros, and cons of each with their features, and know the inside out of the best 3D printing settings. The 3 slicers and their setup will be introduced during the 12 hours course: Simplify3D, Cura and PrusaSlicer.
Plus, this course isn’t just about do this not that, but talks about the science behind the process for better understanding.
Whether it’s setting up your printer, learning the hacks, or troubleshooting problems, you’ll be starting from the basics right down to acquiring a full control of your 3D printer with the slicer.
Bonus Courses
If you have more time on your hands, the best way is to keep learning, especially if 3D printing has your interest. These courses can further boost your skillset.
Learn to design Fidget Spinners – Fusion 360 for 3D Printing by Vladimir Mariano
- Creator: Vladimir Mariano
- Platform: Skillshare
- Length: 2 hours 2 minutes
- Enroll here
A course with 70% reviews that said it exceeded their expectations? Surely, you can’t overlook that.
In this course, Vladimir Mariano helps you gain an armor of tools and techniques to 3D print (wait for it…) fidget spinners!
But not just any fidget spinner; you’ll get tutorials on 7 unique fidget spinners with multiple rings, gears, and even themes.
However, designing is one part of it, and the second is importing and modifying your models for the final version.
With industry-leading techniques and tools to back up the course, there’s nothing like learning 3D printing with fun projects.
And once you’re done with this course, you should’ve gained immense knowledge that can assist your future 3D printing ideas.
Additive Manufacturing: Troubleshoot 3D Prints by Rich Cameron and Joan Horvath
- Creator: Rich Cameron and Joan Horvath
- Platform: LinkedIn
- Length: 2 hours 27 minutes
- Enroll here
If you’ve come across dozens of courses on 3D printing, but none that explain the common problems with printers, you’ve landed at the right place.
With so much going on for 3D printers, you need to know the techniques that optimize your tools and process.
This course targets a diverse range of problems, including over-/under-extrusion, printer settings, filament, and geometry, so you won’t have to bang your head against the wall in frustration when your 3D printer just won’t work.
Some of the problems this course answers are:
- 3D prints not sticking
- Pimples, dimples, or stringing
- Filament and nozzle issues
- Handling filaments
- Geometry considerations
- Software configuration management
- Systems-level and surface quality issues
Introduction to Ceramic 3D Printing by Unfold
- Creator: Unfold Creative Design Studio
- Platform: Domestika
- Length: 2 hours 40 minutes
- Enroll here
Have you ever wondered if there’s a way to combine traditional art with modern 3D printing techniques?
This course shows you it’s possible and how to do it yourself with clay and a 3D printer.
You’ll be designing and printing a functional sugar bowl and milk jug from nothing but clay. You’ll be watching the process of creating your designs and using printing techniques to actualize them.
However, you’ll start from the bottom – 3D printer types and clay, along with their unique features.
Remember, clay doesn’t work like plastic, so you’ll discover preparing it for the right consistency and filling it in cartridges before the actual printing.
Watch how to add the final touches to your masterpiece as well, all within one course!
How Much Does it Take to Learn 3D Printing?
Let’s say, with a simple design tool, a mid-level printer and user-friendly slicer, you’d be on a good level within a year.
But this is a very general question, and you need to consider all aspects.
Typically, FDM printers take a bit longer to learn than resin printers. Another aspect is what you plan to print. What kind of models, complex or simple? Will you design the 3D models by yourself, or you buy them?
On the other hand, to learn to use slicers usually does not take a long.
While you can acquire the basic knowledge within a year at most, diving into the complex design tools can take years.
What is the Right Course for You?
With so many 3D learning courses out there and more being added daily, it can get overwhelming to decide. Plus, it’s never a ‘one size fits all’ scenario; a course that works for someone else may not be the right fit for you.
To stick with a 3D learning course, look at what it offers first. This should give you a brief overview of the course level, i.e., beginner, amateur, or pro. According to your prior knowledge and experience, you should select the course.
But that’s not all; each course comes with goals, in other words, what you’ll learn by the end.
Some might only teach simple 3D designing processes, while others may teach the complexities. So, decide your 3D learning goals, too, when you’re making a choice.
Conclusion
Learning 3D printing from courses can help pave your pathway in this exciting technology.
Needless to say, courses can give you knowledge, but practicing your grip on it is what can take your 3D printing game to the next level.
One thing these courses definitely will help in is reducing the frustration of a newly acquired skill. So, don’t miss the opportunity to tap into the 3D print industry and start printing.
And of course, if you don’t plan to join any of the courses on the list, simply signup for our newsletter and get free tips every week.