Impact of additive manufacturing on engineering education
Title: Impact of additive manufacturing on engineering education (Politecnico di Torino, Italy)
Authors: Paolo Minetola , Luca Iuliano , Elena Bassoli , Andrea Gatto
Keywords: Advanced manufacturing technologies, Rapid manufacturing, Product design, Manufacturing technology, Computer aided modelling, Computer aided manufacturing.
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate how the direct access to additive manufacturing (AM) systems impacts on education of future mechanical engineers, within a Master’s program at a top Italian University.
Methodology: A survey is specifically designed to assess the relevance of entry-level AM within the learning environment, as a tool for project development. The survey is distributed anonymously to three consecutive cohorts of students who attended the course of “computer-aided production (CAP)”, within the Master of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Politecnico di Torino. The course includes a practical project, consisting in the design of a polymeric product with multiple components and ending with the production of an assembled prototype. The working assembly is fabricated by the students themselves, who operate a fused deposition modelling (FDM) machine, finish the parts and evaluate assemblability and functionality. The post-course survey covers diverse aspects of the learning process, such as: motivation, knowledge acquisition, new abilities and team-working skills. Responses are analyzed to evaluate students’ perception of the usefulness of additive technologies in learning product design and development. Among the projects, one representative case study is selected and discussed.
Limitations: The advantages of adopting AM technologies at different levels of education, for diverse educational purposes and disciplines, are well assessed in the literature. The innovative aspect of this paper is that the impact of AM is evaluated through a feedback coming directly from mechanical engineering students.
Findings: Results of the research affirm a positive relationship of access to AM devices to perceived interest, motivation and ease of learning of mechanical engineering. Entry-level additive technologies offer a hands-on experience within academia, fostering the acquisition of technical knowledge.
Practical implications: Early exposure of forthcoming designers to AM tools can turn into a “think-additive” approach to product design, that is a groundbreaking conception of geometries and product functionalities, leading to the full exploitation of the possibilities offered by additive technologies.
Originality/value: The advantages of adopting AM technologies at different levels of education, for diverse educational purposes and disciplines, are well assessed in the literature. The innovative aspect of this paper is that the impact of AM is evaluated through a feedback coming directly from mechanical engineering students.
Grafical Abstract:
Full reference: Minetola, P., Iuliano, L., Bassoli, E., & Gatto, A. (2015). Impact of additive manufacturing on engineering education–evidence from Italy. Rapid Prototyping Journal, 21(5), 535-555.
Link: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/RPJ-09-2014-0123/full/html#idm45947990859216
