Learn

This course begins with an introduction to commercial rapid prototyping processes, the materials involved, and the physics behind how they work. The course then transitions to research topics involving novel processes, applications, and materials. Class activities include a mix of lecture, lab, and project work.

This course provides students with depth in the topics of metal additive manufacturing and composite additive manufacturing. For metal AM, established processes such as powder bed fusion, binder jetting, and bound particle extrusion will be covered along with emerging processes such as molten metal droplet jetting, cold spray, friction stir, and wire arc. The composite AM portion of the course will focus on polymer matrix composite materials. The fundamentals of how fiber reinforcement and the polymer matrix interact will be covered, as will strategies for optimizing material properties though local control of fiber orientation. Students will use design tools for light weighting of structures via engineered lattice structures, generative design, and topology optimization. Students are expected to have previous introductory experience with 3D printing and computer-aided design.

This course covers the use of 3D printing technologies to produce products that have been personalized for the individual who will use them. Examples include customized invisible braces, hearing aids, footwear, helmets, swimming goggles, and bone implants. The course will cover digital scanning technologies, such as structured light and medical CT scanning, as well as the software workflow to convert point cloud scan data into editable CAD surfaces and solids. Design tools will be used to create customized digital material properties in which color, stiffness and/or other properties are manipulated. 3D printing technologies, including multi-material 3D printing, will be used to fabricate designs. Students are expected to have previous introductory experience with 3D printing and computer-aided design.

3D-technologies offer exciting potential to address the needs of individuals with amputations across the globe. Developing solutions to complex real-world problems requires the cooperative expertise of several disciplines. Students will get hands-on experience with 3D-printers, scanners and software, and discover strategies for applying their academic skills within an interdisciplinary environment. Person-centered design, medical device policy, mechanical properties of materials and life cycle analyses will be examined. Physiological challenges of fitting devices that interface with the body and the benefits and dangers of open-source designs will be explored. Critical thinking will be applied to determine what makes a prosthetic “better” or “worse” within complex environmental and cultural contexts. Psychological ramifications of limb loss and wearing prosthetics will be considered. At what point does it cease to be a device and begin to become a part of the individual?