Improving Student Design Efficacy and Competence Through Curricular 3D Printing Education in Mechanical Engineering Design Series Courses

3D printing is a fabrication technology that allows a designer to move quickly from digital model to complex physical prototypes in as little as minutes. These technologies have seen rapid improvements over the last 20 years and continue to become more relevant to how engineers do early-stage prototyping and product development. Thus, skill development in learning to design appropriately for the media of 3D printing and development of the skills to use, maintain, and repair 3D printers becomes more essential to doing efficient design work in mechanical engineering.

This project aims to integrate 3D printing technology into the Mechanical Engineering (ME) Design series courses, specifically ME 250, to enhance students’ practical skills in design and manufacturing. With the recognition that 3D printing is becoming a crucial part of the engineering design process due to its ability to rapidly produce complex prototypes, this project emphasizes the need for students to develop skills not only in designing for 3D printing but also in using, maintaining, and repairing the printers themselves. By providing student teams with their own 3D printers, the project seeks to study the impact of direct hands-on experience combined with relevant curriculum on improving students’ confidence and proficiency in employing 3D printing technology for efficient design work.

Project Team

Funding

This team was awarded $10,000 in funding in Summer 2024.