The part now has been used in several of schools, and she estimates it will save the district $5 million over the next few years. The HVAC system of the Beaverton School District had a problem with a bushing part that was difficult to replace, so Greer and her students used Fusion 360 to model and 3D print the part themselves. Greer also explains how Fusion 360 helped the school in a less expected way.

Since adding Fusion 360 to its CTE program, Sunset High School students have gained design and manufacturing skills that employers need while also supplying the school system with a critical HVAC part. “One of the things that I really enjoy about Fusion 360 is that it is a very short on-ramp, and we really get to move through a lot of physical projects quickly” says Cady Greer, CTE instructor at Sunset High School. Since then, Sunset has integrated the software to pair with its CNC machines, laser cutters, and 3D printers to teach multiple CAD/CAM and CAE concepts from a single, easy-to-use platform, rather than needing multiple programs. When Sunset High School near Portland, Oregon started a Career and Technical Education (CTE) engineering program, its advisory board stressed how important 3D design and manufacturing is to employers and recommended Fusion 360.

Next-generation software for advanced design and manufacturing education You can do that with free educational access to Autodesk Fusion 360, the cloud-connected platform for teaching integrated CAD/CAM and CAE concepts and skills in a single, easy-to-use software platform. Fortunately, it’s always the right time to prepare students for the next-generation workflows and technologies of the future of design and manufacturing. While spring is only just now upon us, before you know it, new graduates will be celebrating their procession onto the next phase of their lives, whether that be higher education or budding careers.

5 min read Educators and students can access Fusion 360 for free and get up to speed with modern CAD, CAM, CAE, and PCB workflows, all on one cloud-connected platform.

Free fusion 360 for students