3D printed telescopes: an interesting tool for teaching Astronomy, Science and Technology

3D printing technologies experienced a huge evolution both in techniques and applications since its invention in the early 1980s. Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) was the first term used to describe an additive manufacturing technique and from that point on, many different ways of 3D printing have been developed to fulfil a variety of needs. Nowadays, 3D printing has become more accessible to the general public because of the big drop in prices caused by the big technical developments. As a result of that, a community of “makers” has been taking shape internationally making access to designs and advice easier. 3D printing is without a doubt one of the key developments of the last decades and covers from highly technical research fields (like medicine-related investigations) to individual makers or even educational programs to encourage young people to create. As a result of that, it can be seen daily that the so-called 3D printing has gained a big amount of fame between fabrication processes for its accessibility and ease of use, it only takes a computer, a 3D printer and time. On behalf of that, an idea for a final degree thesis was proposed: designing and printing using fused deposition modelling a telescope for astronomical and educational purposes. The main goal of the project is to, first check the capabilities of the 3D printing technology to build telescopes for amateur astronomers, comparing its performance with the current commercial products, and secondly, to develop a set of educational resources that permit the easy construction of low-cost custom instruments for the teaching and diffusion of Astronomy and Space Science. The set of resources derived from this project will be an interesting tool for Astronomy beginners, Engineering and Science students, teachers, and makers. In this work, we summarise the current status of the project and the results obtained with the first built prototype, as well as the design and choices made to fulfil our needs in a practical and feasible way. Last but not least, a list of possible educational activities to be carried out with the developed resources will be exposed.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version