Integrating 3-D printing and CAD into a materials science and engineering curriculum

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Integrating advanced technologies into established engineering curricula is often challenging for a variety of reasons, including cost and availability of equipment and methods, inertia to change and difficulty fitting more content into an already full curriculum. This paper describes how 3D printing (3DP) and computer-aided design (CAD) were integrated into a Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) curriculum and the impact of the integration over the past five years. The integration focused on two senior-level courses that include both a lecture and a lab component as well as a design project. The fall course addresses materials performance and failure, including plastic deformation, fracture, fatigue and creep, and the spring course focuses on materials processing, including traditional routes such as extrusion, injection molding, forging and powder compaction, as well as a variety of 3DP (additive manufacturing) methods. The lab activities and design projects incorporated into these classes are described along with examples, lessons learned, student performance data and the impact on the students and program.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalASEE Annual Conference and Exposition, Conference Proceedings
StatePublished - Jun 15 2019
Event126th ASEE Annual Conference and Exposition: Charged Up for the Next 125 Years, ASEE 2019 - Tampa, United States
Duration: Jun 15 2019Jun 19 2019

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The authors thank Stratasys Corporation for their donation of a Dimension FDM printer, the University of Minnesota's Center for Educational Innovation for a grant in support of developing curriculum and experiments using 3D printing, and their colleagues and teaching assistants, particularly Prof. Kim Kosto and Dr. Robert Lade, for their valuable input into these courses.

Publisher Copyright:
© American Society for Engineering Education, 2019.

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