Each comprehensive school bringing more than 35 students to the event will be given a 3D printer.

The 3D Printshow education session will also run in the Paris and New York shows and is part of a long-term plan to support 3D printing in schools, which will include an education tour in 2014.

Show director Kerry Hogarth said the education initiative was budgeted at £120,000 and she expected to give away around 50 printers at London, which were Ultimaker models retailing for £1,700 each and £900 Up Mini printers.

"Since the first show last year we have worked with the industry on how we can build 3D printing into the curriculum," she said. "Software, design and print is going to play an increasing part of people's lives and it seemed wrong to host such a show without involving young people."

Organisers hope the initiative will prompt more students to take up science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Each participating group will attend a 3D printing workshop and each child will make and take away a 3D print. Seminars will be held in a 3D Printshow Lab.

The lab will be a classroom environment equipped with giant Lego-style furniture and constructed in partnership with Ogilvy Labs. Sessions will be hosted by The Denford ‘F1 For Schools’ Team, Autodesk, Legacy Effects, Stratasys, MakerBot, Printcraft, KIDE, EuropePac, and Robosavvy.

Students will also be shown Printshow London’s key attractions, including a catwalk show of 3D printed clothing and accessories, a 3D movie zone with props from Iron Man, Avatar and Pacific Rim, and a scanning zone offering full colour and texture 3D body scan prints.

The 3D Printshow at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London from 7-9 November, for more details click here