Category: AM Training

Additively Innovative Lecture Series At TTU – FALL 2018

For the past couple of years, the Center for Manufacturing Research at Tennessee Tech University (TTU) has been hosting short talks by Additive Manufacturing experts in the field. These lectures are available for students directly on campus in the iMakerSpace in the Volpe Library on campus, but also online in a webinar format from anywhere using the Zoom platform.

Additively Innovative Lecture Series – FALL 2018 Sessions

All lectures are 11:00 – 11:30 am, Central Time

Although it is already passed (Sept 13), the session: “Integrating Additive Manufacturing into CAD Courses” shared by Tom Singer at Sinclair Community College in Dayton Ohio was a popular one. Professor Singer is well known for his STEM Guitar Building Institute where students build an electric guitar during a one-week workshop. The Institute is also a member of the TEAMM Network, sponsor of AM News. There will be a Guitar Building Summit from November 3-5 leading into the upcoming annual M-STEM (Materials in STEM) workshop on November 5 and 6, at the University of Alabama – Birmingham.

Upcoming Additively Innovative Lectures

Thursday, October 11:

–Where’s my Spare Part? Changing Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul through Additive Manufacturing

Brett P. Conner, Youngstown State University, Ohio

Thursday, October 25:

–Design for Additive Manufacturing: The Key to the Industrial Adoption of Additive Manufacturing

Olaf Diegel, Lund University, Sweden

Thursday, November 15:

–Functionally Graded Additive Manufacturing

Eujin Pei, Brunel University London, United Kingdom

Thursday, November 29:

–How to Integrate Additive Manufacturing in Your Production

Benjamin Denayer, The Collective Center for the Belgian Technology Industry, Heverlee, Belgium

The Golden Eagle Additively Innovative Virtual Lecture Series is partially funded by the NSF Award 1601587 “AM-WATCH: Additive Manufacturing-Workforce Advancement Training Coalition and Hub”. For more information contact Ismail Fidan, Ph.D., Professor, Innovation and Techno-Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellow, Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, Tennessee Tech University.

See past presentations in the Additively Innovative Lecture Series Archive which lists over two dozen presentations about 3D printing (additive manufacturing) on a variety of levels and interest areas from dental applications to bioprinting, design thinking to materials science research. Here are just a few of the specific sessions:

  • Dental 3-D Printing Overview, Frank Alifui-Segbaya, Griffith University
  • Free and Easy Software for Designing for 3-D Printing, Tim Gornet, Rapid Prototyping Center, University of Louisville
  • 3-D Printing, Design Thinking, and the Entrepreneurial Mindset, Phan Tran, Center for Architecture, Design, and Engineering, Lake Washington Institute of Technology
  • Making It Work, Marilyn Barger, NSF Florida Advanced Technological Education Center, Hillsborough Community College
  • Content and Curriculum Development Efforts in 3-D Printing, Jesse Roitenberg, Stratasys
  • The Development of a Framework for 3-D Printing, Casting, & Entrepreneurship, Jay Watson, Cookeville High School
  • Mel Cossette and Robin Ballard, National Resource Center for Materials Technology Education
  • Additive Manufacturing Today and in the Future, Terry Wohlers, Wohlers Associates

AM News covered the Spring 2018 Additively Innovative Lecture Series here.

Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Celebrates 25 Years

The 25th Anniversary of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program is a reason to celebrate in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education circles.

For 25 years, the ATE program has invested in and grown technician education opportunities around the nation to prepare a “STEM-capable workforce.” That includes many different types of classes, modules, and certificate programs, in addition to traditional two-year degree programs that are already a strong part of the community college system.

Here are just a few of the statistics:

  • $1.1 Billion is the total NSF ATE Investment to date
  • 715 organizations have received ATE funding
  • 61 ATE Centers and 1,294 Projects have been funded by ATE
  • In FY2017, $66 Million Went To 300-plus Active Grants

All of these efforts focus on technician education, across the USA, to help students graduate, but also to help high tech employers in the workforce. Many of the programs highlighted in the annual report called “Impacts” are part of the TEAMM network, which is the sponsor of AM News. Throughout this coming 2018-2019 academic year, we are going to highlight the network member programs as found in Impacts and through direct interviews, when possible.

ATE Impacts explores and reports on seven major categories:

  1. Advanced Manufacturing Technologies
  2. Agricultural and Environmental Technologies
  3. Bio and Chemical Technologies
  4. Engineering Technologies
  5. General Advanced Technological Education
  6. Information and Security Technologies
  7. Micro and Nanotechnologies

Today we will look at one featured Project and one ATE Center:

Featured Project: AM-WATCH (Additive Manufacturing – Workforce Advancement Training Coalition and Hub)

According to Impacts:  “AM-WATCH provides opportunities for secondary school and two-year college students and educators to learn additive manufacturing technologies. More than 700 students were impacted positively by the project from fall 2017 to spring 2018.” It plans to add more locations to its existing 25 learning sites in Tennessee and Washington.

In a recent Train-the-Trainer Studio, educators were taught how to build 3-D printers to help them prepare technicians for additive manufacturing careers.  Results found that educators:

  • 77% increased their ability to design a system, component, or process
  • 80% increased their technical and nontechnical communication skills
  • Educators report AM-WATCH’s Train-the-Trainer Studios improved their performance on specific ABET accreditation skill sets

ATE Center: MatEdU – National Resource Center for Materials Technology Education

MatEdU is well-known as a materials technology education repository for educators and students. It appears in the number one spot for search engine results for a wide variety of materials science terms and directs students and educators to useful resources.

Students can learn about a variety of career pathways in materials science. Educators can find content that helps them plan a variety of lessons, entire courses as well as core competencies documents outlining required depth of proficiency for a range of related subjects, such as, manufacturing technology, corrosion technician, nanotechnologist, and more. Instructional resources include course designs, materials videos, and recommended book lists, to name just a few items from the Instructional Resources page.

Each year, MatEdU organizes a Materials in STEM conference (two days) known as M-STEM that attracts educators and students around the country. This year is hosted by the University of Alabama – Birmingham on November 5 and 6.

* * * * *

You can read more about all of the ATE Centers and many of the featured projects by visiting ATE Impacts where you can download the digital edition (PDF) of ATE Impacts 2018-2019.

From Reality to Digital Manufacturing through Xbox One Kinect At TTU

The Kinect motion sensor (3D scanning) that Microsoft built for its Xbox 360 and Xbox One gaming consoles is a product that never quite caught on. The company discontinued the Kinect product in late 2017, but you can still find them on Amazon or other sites in new, used or refurbished condition.

So, why an update on a discontinued product and what could a gaming motion sensor have to do with digital manufacturing? Well, under the leadership of Professor of Manufacturing Technology Ismail Fidan, students at Tennessee Tech University (TTU) Engineering Department have the answer to that.

While the Kinect was mostly designed for use with the Xbox gaming console, savvy educators, engineers, makers, and hackers realized it also could be used as a real-time 3D scanner to create 3D printable models. A variety of TTU student engineers are using this humble, yet quite functional, sensor as a 3D scanner to do some fun and educational projects. Keep reading if you want to scan someone and turn them into a superhero action figure.

The Kinect has an infrared (IR) camera, which is part of its depth sensor that can stream a real time video projection. But with one more step, it can project those infrared beams at an object and return them to measure the distance to each pixel. This allows you to create a depth map that can be turned into a 3D model.

As professionals, educators, and hobbyists/makers discovered this 3D scanning capability, software quickly emerged to take advantage of this sensor. Many free and low-cost tools reached the market and TTU outlines how they did it.

After you have the Kinect, and it is all set up, you will need the following software programs from Microsoft (3 of 4) and one from Autodesk called Meshmixer to move you from scanning to 3D printing.

You can read more about the project on the TTU Engineering Research and iMakerSpace page.

Instructions on Xbox One Kinect 3D scanning and printing

Scanning instructions

  • Center the person in an area and remove all objects that may interfere with the scan.
  • Have the person stare straight ahead and make as little movement as possible.
  • Open the 3D scan app. There should be a live video from the Kinect on the screen.
  • Optional: adjust the settings of depth, width, and height as needed.
  • Click scan and, while holding the Kinect at chest level, move 360° slowly around the person.
  • At the end of the circle, move the sensor upwards at a tilt to capture the top of the head.
  • When the scan has been completed, click stop, and the scan will process.
    • Other recommendations:
      • Use the timer function if only two are involved.
      • If there is a third person, have them click start and stop manually.
      • The Kinect can work in a dark place, but light will capture more detail.
      • Also, the Kinect cord may not be long enough to go around the person. This can be solved by having the person step over the wire with care.
    • Open the scan to see the result.
    • Take another scan if the scan is not good.
    • Save as an STL file.

Meshmixer Instructions

  • Import the STL scan into Meshmixer.
  • Also, import the incredible body.
  • Slice the head of the Incredible in order to replace it with the scan.
    • This is done by:
      • Click select on the side menu. Then, find a perspective where slicing the head doesn’t affect other areas. Outline the head with the slicer, and clear the selection.
      • (The headless Incredible have been completed and can be loaded already.)
    • If needed, scale the STL scan down by clicking edit, transform and scale.
    • Also in transform, move the file to above the Incredible body.
    • Slice the STL scan to include the head and some of the neck.
    • Move the STL scan to where the Incredible head would be, and scale to have the body proportions balanced.
    • Select both objects, and combine. One of the objects should change color.
    • In the edit panel, make the object solid.
    • Use the sculpt tool to inflate or shrink the intersection of the two files. The bubble smooth tool is also helpful.
    • Once completed, export as an STL file and print.

More Resources on 3D Scanning

In addition to the popular Kinect, there are low-cost alternatives worth a look. Here are three:

The Orbbec Persee ($240)and Astra ($150) are impressive and can be coupled with the low-cost RecFusion software ($99, but has a free trial).

I have tested the Skanect software (free version for non-commercial use), which provided a very easy way to quickly obtain decent 3D scans of nearby objects, including people – but not pets or children because they can’t stay still long enough. Skanect was acquired by Occipital a few years ago and you can use the software with other scanners, such as, the Kinect or, of course, the Structure.

I have also tested the Structure by Occipital ($380) a few years ago and found it useful, but it was at an earlier stage in the product’s development and it didn’t work as well compared to the others. But many people have had great results with it.

The Facility Is Creating A Sustainable Makerspace Model To Aid Student Job Potential

According to the Credit reporting site WalletHub, Washington State’s economy ranked No. 1 in the nation, driven by strong gross domestic product growth, exports, and the percentage of high-tech jobs. Those high tech jobs include careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).  Of course, that would mean that advanced science fields, such as materials science and additive manufacturing rank high, as well.

Student education and workforce training programs contribute to that job growth and overall career opportunities. So, it comes as no surprise that Edmonds Community College enthusiastically supported the idea of creating a makerspace for students and the community. The makerspace is called The Facility and is housed in Monroe Hall, which is already a well-equipped materials science lab.

The Facility is different than many college makerspaces, however, because it is a hybrid model that allows student use and also invites the community, residents who are not students, to come and use the space at low cost. As you will hear in this short video, David Voetmann, Makerspace Program Manager of The Facility, explains how the process works for joining and participating in the space.

What is a Makerspace?

Briefly, a makerspace is like a woodshop or metal shop or automotive class that many area residents would remember. A place, as Voetmann says, to share tools and innovation. Except instead of only power saws or welders or impact wrenches, you would have 3D printers, laser cutters, or 5-axis CNC machines – computer-controlled milling machines that cut on multiple angles. In addition, Monroe Hall is unique in that it is home to equipment that can make something out of carbon fiber (materials science) via vacuum bagging and an autoclave, not your usual makerspace gear.

You can check out other TEAMM videos or look at the Materials Education channel on YouTube.

Resources for Starting Your Own Makerspace

Since two of the most popular machines in a makerspace are 3D printers and laser cutters (or laser engravers), it is logical that companies that provide those tools would have good resources.

3D printer manufacturer, Ultimaker, has a number of posts, books, and resources for school teachers, administrators, librarians (public and school), who might be interested to build a makerspace. One is called the Makerspace Bookshelf and the other helpful post is Fablab, makerspace, or hackerspace? –that highlights how to decide which one is right for your situation.

LulzBot, one of the dominant 3D printer brands in education, has a case study on the Loveland CreatorSpace: Come for the Tools, Stay for the People.

FormLabs, a resin-based 3D printer company, published Incentives and Ingredients for Building a Makerspacethat is instructive.

If you have been contemplating a laser cutter, and a variety of other equipment, Epilog Laser, based in Colorado, offers a number of posts and a downloadable guide for lasers in education to help you determine what you need as well as steps to take to get your space up and running. This post (though it presents a slight bias given what they sell) Why Will a Laser be the Most Popular Tool in My Makerspace? presents four reasons why a laser will be a hit in your makerspace, hackerspace, or fab lab.

Laura Fleming, an educator and media specialist, has written two excellent, best-selling books (also mentioned on the Ultimaker site). You can find both of them on her website: Worlds of Making. Both of them are about creating a makerspace in your school. They are also available on Amazon. She offers a steady stream of ideas and maker tips on her Twitter account – @LFlemingEDU.

The study mentioned earlier in the post: WalletHub study: 2018’s Best & Worst State Economies. This article on the Edmonds Community College website gives additional details of how the school intends to use the makerspace: The Facility and the Rapid Proto Lab at Edmonds Community College.

For more information visit The Facility website or email david.voetmann@edcc.edu.

A Day In The Life Of Virtual Reality Workshop Participants

On day one of the 2018 Virtual Reality (VR) Workshop held in Monroe Hall at Edmonds Community College, it was all “real” and “virtual” at the same time. Educators, 14 of them in total, came from as far away as Southern California to learn how to use VR in their classrooms to teach digital manufacturing.

The workshop is the brainchild of Dr. Magesh Chandramouli who started the MANEUVER (Manufacturing Education Using Virtual Environment Resources) project, based at Purdue University. It is focused on developing an affordable VR framework to address the demand for well-trained digital manufacturing (DM) technicians.

The two-day workshop was hosted by the TEAMM project and started out with sessions dedicated to manufacturing and a tour of Monroe Hall (which has served as the home to multiple National Science Foundation grant-funded projects including the National Resource Center for Materials Education – MatEdU).

This amazing building is the 11,000 square foot home for almost $2,000,000 of machines and tools offering a variety you won’t find on very many college campuses. It is also where The Facility, a new type of makerspace exists – that fuses college access and community access.

Here’s more of what took place on day one and day two of the VR Workshop:

  • Demos of Traditional and Digital Technologies
  • Introduction to Virtual Reality
  • Types and Uses (Google Cardboard Build)
  • Terminology
  • Opportunities (Advantages/Disadvantages)
  • Current technology and expected development (HoloLens practice)
  • Unpack and set-up VR equipment (using the Dell Visor)
  • MANEUVER website (We are creating a resource post that we believe you will find useful, stay tuned)
  • Design Opportunities in Virtual Reality
  • Case Studies: VR in a Classroom
  • How is it being used
  • What are the challenges / rewards

On day two, participants focused on a group project planning incorporation of VR into an actual lesson.

Here are photos from the event:

Additional resources:

From their website: “Project MANEUVER (Manufacturing Education Using Virtual Environment Resources) is developing an affordable virtual reality (VR) framework to address the imminent demand for well-trained digital manufacturing (DM) technicians. Over half of the 3.5 million required manufacturing positions in the US are expected to go unfilled due to a “skills gap”. Employment projections show a decline in conventional manufacturing jobs with marked growth in DM jobs.

“This VR instructional framework, targeted at two and four year programs, will not only advance the field of DM, but will also strengthen education by remedying the lack of clearly defined career/educational pathway(s) for entry-level DM technicians.”

AM News originally reported on this workshop: Virtual Reality Workshop For Digital Manufacturing Education.