A high school student from Pennsylvania has turned his classroom training into a huge savings for his school.

Tanner Hauger is an honors student and is taking engineering and manufacturing classes. That is when someone from the maintenance department approached the school’s Technology Education Department asking for help.

Charles Masterbray told the department that a small piece of the school’s heating unit had broken and he could not just replace the tiny part. To fix it, he would have to buy a much bigger piece at a much bigger price tag.

The school’s fire doors were also breaking down, again due to a tiny piece that would cost the school district big to replace.

Tanner had a solution. He measured the parts and printed a 3D replica of the broken parts. They worked.

Teacher Ed Wingrove said that the 3D printed fix shows just how technology education relates to the real world.

“This shows how the Technology Education Department is always trying to give our students real world tasks that they can utilize in a job after or during high school,” he said. “I also want the community to realize that the school has updated its facility and is using new technology to prepare our students for competitive jobs once they graduate.”

In this case, the classroom 3D printer also saved some serious cash. Thanks to Tanner’s ingenuity and classroom training, he saved the district $10,250.

Photo Credit: Amanda Steen