Integrating 3-D Printing and CAD into a Materials Science and Engineering Curriculum

Integrating advanced technologies into established engineering curricula is often challenging for a variety of reasons, including cost and availability of equipment and methods, inertia to change and difficulty fitting more content into an already full curriculum. This paper describes how 3D printing (3DP) and computer-aided design (CAD) were integrated into a Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) curriculum and the impact of the integration over the past five years. The integration focused on two senior-level courses that include both a lecture and a lab component as well as a design project. The fall course addresses materials performance and failure, including plastic deformation, fracture, fatigue and creep, and the spring course focuses on materials processing, including traditional routes such as extrusion, injection molding, forging and powder compaction, as well as a variety of 3DP (additive manufacturing) methods. The lab activities and design projects incorporated into these classes are described along with examples, lessons learned, student performance data and the impact on the students and program.