Creating the Fleet Maker: Lessons Learned from the First Series of Workshops on Maker Concepts for Active Duty Personnel

The US Navy has supported research related to the 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing area for more than 20 years. More recently, efforts like the Print the Fleet initiative and Marine Makers are exploring ways to design and create solutions to future problems with the possibility of reducing maintenance costs, increasing equipment readiness, and improving combat effectiveness. The Creating the Fleet Maker project is an effort supported by the Navy and Marine Corps Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education, Outreach and Workforce Program of the Office of Naval Research. It examines the concept of making in order to develop skills for active duty personnel in 3D printing, computer aided design, and reverse engineering. As part of the Creating the Fleet Maker project, educational materials, and handson activities, based on STEM concepts, were developed for a 2-day workshop. During the first year of the project, a series of five workshops were delivered, with a total of 92 active activeduty sailors attending the workshops. This paper presents the lessons learned during the first series of workshops, including successes, challenges encountered, how these challenges were overcome, as well as areas for improvement as the project enters its second year. Results from the workshop assessments are very positive with the majority of sailors reporting an improvement in their knowledge of the concepts covered during the workshop, as well as in the skills for 3D printing, computer aided design, and reverse engineering. Furthermore, attendees reported interest in taking part in an extended version of the workshop or having it as part of their regular naval training.