Conference proceeding
Interdisciplinary Senior Design Project to Develop a Teaching Tool: Dragon Conductive 3-D Printer
Association for Engineering Education - Engineering Library Division Papers, p24.800.1
15 Jun 2014
Abstract
Interdisciplinary Senior Design Project to Develop a Teaching Tool: Dragon Conductive3D PrinterThe desired current set of skills required of modern engineers and technologists has beensteadily expanding. In addition to familiarity with manual machining and prototypingtechniques, mastering CAD/CAM, Computer Numerical Control (CNC), and automation methodsare increasingly becoming essential tools in the design, prototyping and manufacturing ofcomplex systems. In this paper, an inter-disciplinary design project towards the development ofa 3D printer machine is presented as an alternative to purchasing and installing traditionalprototyping equipment to provide hands on experience. The Dragon 3D printer is designed tobridge the gap between commercial printers and consumer 3D printers – to be the first“prosumer” 3D printer. However, the Dragon printer is more than just an upgraded Makerbot –it has features that are not available even on commercial models. The Dragon printer hasevolved into a commercial printer with never before seen features - for a fraction of the cost,and perhaps most interestingly, at a fraction of the cost to run as other commercial models. Themost exciting feature of the Dragon conductive 3D printer is its ability to create 3D prints withintegrated traces and variable resistivity. This will take 3D printing from making solid objects tomaking useful electronic devices. The Dragon 3D printer will be useful for engineeringtechnology classes – because it continues the trend of technology being more powerful, morehands on, and available for a fraction of the cost of other alternatives. The Dragon 3D printerwill make prototyping viable for larger parts – in a way that was not possible with smallerprinters and expensive filament. The Dragon 3D printer will be a boon to students, prototypes,and hobbyists interested in the exciting field of rapid prototyping. The significance of the methodology to be applied in this capstone course project is tocombine theory and practice to prepare the students to become better problem solvers andobtain practical solutions to real life/simulated problems using a project based approach.Students in the Mechanical, Electrical, and Industrial fields along with many others can learnmany new skills from multi-disciplinary projects such as the design and development of a 3Dprinter. Such projects show students how to use different types of technology, anddemonstrate how advanced technology can be used in an innovative application. Overall, manydifferent fields of engineering can benefit from this application, enabling the development ofskill and knowledge in many different engineering aspects and processes. This capstone designproject stimulates the students’ interest in real-world product realization. As manufacturinglaboratories are very expensive to develop, this project can also be adapted at otherinstitutions that have limited funding to improve manufacturing process and prototypingfacilities.
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Details
- Title
- Interdisciplinary Senior Design Project to Develop a Teaching Tool: Dragon Conductive 3-D Printer
- Creators
- Yalcin ErtekinIrina Nicoleta Ciobanescu HusanuRichard ChiouJoshua Konstantinos
- Publication Details
- Association for Engineering Education - Engineering Library Division Papers, p24.800.1
- Publisher
- American Society for Engineering Education-ASEE
- Resource Type
- Conference proceeding
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Engineering Leadership and Society/Engineering Technology
- Identifiers
- 991020531997004721