Abstract:

Emerging technologies such as 3D printing are reshaping how value is created across sectors, enabling new forms of customization, local production, and service innovation. For higher education, this raises an important pedagogical challenge: students must learn not only how such technologies function but also how they generate value in economic, experiential, and sustainability terms. This work presents an active learning experience supported by a dedicated pedagogical instrument—the 3D Printing Canvas—and introduces a complementary typology that helps students conceptualize different forms of value creation enabled by 3D printing.

The learning activity integrates hands-on experimentation with structured reflection. Students from Industrial Engineering and Tourism Management engaged with the university’s 3D printing facilities, observing fabrication processes while discussing materials, design constraints, cost implications, and sustainability impacts. This interdisciplinary setting enriched the experience by exposing students to both technical and service-oriented perspectives.

A central contribution of this work is the 3D Printing Canvas, a tool specifically developed to support value-based reasoning, not just technical prototyping. The canvas helps students articulate how technological features connect with value propositions, user needs, and sustainability considerations. It also supports educators by providing a structured framework for designing learning experiences that link hands-on exploration with strategic reasoning. By encouraging reflection on product–service systems, the canvas builds a bridge between digital fabrication and innovation-oriented pedagogical practice.

The work also develops a typology of 3D printing value opportunities based on two axes: Value Orientation (product value ↔ service value) and Sustainability Orientation (low ↔ high). Crossing these axes generates four types: Product Efficiency (product value, low sustainability) – functional objects, low-cost replacement parts, operational improvements; Circular Product (product value, high sustainability) – locally printed components, recycled materials, repair and maintenance applications; Personalized Service (service value, low sustainability) – customized artifacts, tourism and heritage personalization, user experience enhancement; Sustainable Service System (service value, high sustainability) – product–service systems, community fabrication, circular service models.

This typology provides students with an analytical lens to classify real-world cases and understand how 3D printing’s value potential shifts across contexts. It complements the canvas by offering conceptual categories that help structure reflective thinking and highlight the strategic role of 3D printing in servitization and sustainable development.

Students applied the canvas and typology to analyze documented applications across industries. This method fostered reflective learning, supported the development of competencies aligned with Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and helped connect technological exploration with innovation-driven reasoning.

The paper discusses the structure of the 3D Printing Canvas, the proposed typology, the implementation of the learning activity, and implications for educators seeking to integrate digital fabrication, sustainability, active learning, and value-based thinking into higher education curricula.

Keywords:

3D Printing in Education, servitization, value creation, sustainability, active learning.