3D-printing or additive manufacturing is a modern transformative approach to industrial production for rapid prototyping. Recent technology in 3D printing has seen a reduction in cost of the 3D printers and complexity that has made it easier to print 3D models even at home.
This course at Cycloid Academy is suitable for beginners in 3D printing. It is ideal for anyone intending to develop their own 3D printed models. Hobbyists, high school students, and undergraduate students taking STEM courses intending to 3D print components for their projects will find this course useful. The course is also suitable for anyone with interest in developing prototypes using 3D modelling, e.g., architecture students or engineering students to print a precise shape in plastic. The real-time time-shared remote access to our 3D printer will enable you to gain a firsthand learning experience by bringing your first few models from concept to reality.
This course will first introduce you to the basics of 3D printing and present a specialised technological overview. Then we will investigate software tools that are used to develop 3D models. You will learn aspect of 3D modelling software such as "Tinkercad" and "Solidworks" that is essential for the development of 3D models for 3D printing. You will work on several example products as assignments. You will also work with the free software “Blender” and using it to modify 3D models to adapt it for 3D printing. You will then learn the use of “Ultimaker Cura” slicing software, and the settings associated and their practical implication as the final step before 3D printing.
As part of this course, you will work on multiple assignments and each assignment will involve the actual printing of a 3D model which will be shipped to you once complete. You will be able to view the 3D printing process in real-time using a video feed our 3D printers that will bring your design to reality.
- This course will introduce you to 3D printing, the fundamentals of additive manufacturing.
- You will learn about structure of the 3D printer, sensitivity of different components of the 3D printer to get a high-quality output and practical implications.
- As part of this course, you will learn the use of “Tinkercad” and “Solidworks” to create a 3D design and use of “Blender” to refine the design.
- You will also learn the setting up process of the 3D printing job using “Ultimaker Cura” and thereafter define the job specifications such as feed-rate, print speed, need for supports, temperature requirements etc.
- You will work with the instructor to develop several example projects from list of potential options to 3D print.
- You will also get access to a real 3D printer using remote desktop time-shared basis.
- You will setup the 3D printer to print your project using this platform and observe real time printing operation using a video feed from our plant.
- Your 3D printed project output will be shipped to you.
- This course is delivered online
- Students will also be provided remote real-time time-shared access to 3D printer to print assignments as part of this course
- 14 hours self paced learning
- 2 hours of instructor guided learning
- 8 hours of time-shared virtual 3D printing experiments
This course is suitable for beginners. It is ideal for high school students and undergraduate students in university taking STEM courses intending to develop 3D printed components for projects. The course is also useful for professional engineers who are interested in learning 3D printing or anyone interested in developing on 3D printing as a hobby or a potential side business.
Submit Expression of Interest to next enrolment date
AUD150 Total
* includes cost of 3D printing of projects
* excludes overseas shipping cost
Course Content:
- Overview of 3D printing technology
- How a 3D printer works
- Basic components within the 3D printer
- 3D printer filaments and practical implications
- Self-paced learning via Moodle
- What software do we need?
- Workflow process and use of multiple software to get the best outcome
- Installation of free software
- What is Blender used for – Example
- Functionality of the slicer software
- Self-paced learning via Moodle
- Design a basic component in Tinkercad
- Design considerations during the design phase
- Assignment with an example design
- Self-paced learning via Moodle
- Understanding the function of the slicer software
- What parameters are sensitive to the print quality.
- Layer height and its implications
- Shells and infills
- Supports for complex geometry
- Bed preparation
- Levelling
- Printing assignment #1 design
- An instructor will guide you in the process of setting up the 3D print job
- Design a component in Solidworks
- Sketching the shape using lines, rectangles, circles
- Adding text
- Filleting, trimming,
- Advanced features: extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, ribs, holes.
- Assignment with an example design
- Printing an assignment #2 design
- Blender interface and functionality
- Manipulation of objects
- Editing objects
- Use of blender to perform modifications of an existing design
- Printing assignment #3 design – with improvements using blender
- You will have realtime access to the video feed of your print
- Your project prints #1, #2 and #3 will be shipped to you on completion