ICTP Science Dissemination Unit

Open Book on "Low-cost 3D Printing for Science, Education and Sustainable Development"

Low-cost, three-dimensional (3D) desktop printing, although still in its infancy, is rapidly maturing, with seemingly unlimited potential. The hope is that this cutting-edge 3D technology will open new dimensions to science and education, and will make a marked impact in developing countries. This book gives a reasonable, first overview of current research on 3D printing. It aims to inspire curiosity and understanding in young scholars and new generations of scientists to motivate them to start building up their own 3D printing experiences and to explore the huge potential this technology provides –with the final goal of putting learning literally in their hands.

Spanish, Russian, Korean and Italian translation of the book are also available.


Download the PDF (Low-resolution, 10MB)  Download the PDF (High-resolution, 150MB)


Download the ePub (black & white, 13MB)  Download the mobi (black & white, 24MB)
Converted to ePub and mobi by Marco Rainone.


Download the ePub (full color, 15MB)  Download the mobi (full color, 28MB)
Converted to ePub and mobi by Marco Rainone.


Get the iBook version for iPad (from Apple iBook Store)
Note: the iPad version contains enhanced multimedia contents
not available in the other versions (e.g. videos, interactive 3D objects, etc).


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book cover

Table of Contents

  • Preface
  • Introduction
  • Low-cost 3D Printing for Science, Education and Sustainable Development
    by Enrique Canessa
  • 3D Printing: Glossary
  • Low-cost 3D Printing
  • A Practical Guide to Your First 3D Print
    by Carlo Fonda
  • The Role of Open Source Software and Hardware in the 3D Printing Revolution
    by Marco Zennaro
  • Plug-n-Play, Do-It-Yourself Kits and Pre-assembled 3D Printers
    by Gaya Fior
  • Reprap, Slic3r and the Future of 3D Printing
    by Alessandro Ranellucci
  • 3D Modeling with OpenSCAD - Part 1
    by Sebastian Büttrich
  • 3D Modeling with OpenSCAD - Part 2
    by Marius Kintel
  • Low-cost 3D Printing for Science
  • Illustrating Mathematics using 3D Printers
    by Oliver Knill, Elizabeth Slavkovsky
  • Science and Art: Periodic Tessellations
    by Gian Carlo Ghirardi
  • Printable ALICE 3D Models at CERN
    by Stefan Rossegger
  • Large Scale 3D Printing: from Deep Sea to the Moon
    by Valentina Colla, Enrico Dini
  • Trabecular Bone Modeling with Support of 3D Printing of Physical Replicas
    by Waldir L. Roque
  • Low-cost 3D Printing for Education
  • Using 3D Printers at School: the Experience of 3drucken.ch
    by Gregor Lütolf
  • Prehistoric Collections and 3D Printing for Education
    by Louise Leakey, Tatjana Dzambazova
  • 3D Printing in Art Installations
    by Daniel Pietrosemoli
  • From Math to Jewel: an Example
    by Gaya Fior
  • Low-cost 3D Printing for Sustainable Development
  • 3D Printing in the Developing World: Learning from Techfortrade’s 3D4D Challenge
    by William Hoyle
  • 3D Printed Anatomic Replicas for Medical and Educational Purposes in Dental Surgery: Practical Projects from a Sustainable Development Point of View
    by Paolo Rossi, Carlo Campana
  • Perpetual Plastic Project
    by Jonas Martens, Laura Klauss