Upon successful completion of the course, the student is able to

operate and maintain the various printer types of the 3D LAb
design a mesh in Blender
export it to STL file format
check the manifold properties of the mesh
use RepetierHost or Cura to manage the printing process
adjust the mesh and re-export the mesh until perfect

Understanding 3D printing
Understanding the path from Blender meshes via manifold checking to STL file and printer
Printer materials (ABS, PLA, nylon)
Fused Deposition Manufacturing type printers (MiniFactory, CoLiDo models, BCN3D)
RepetierHost printer management software and using memory card for transferring print jobs
Managing the printing process
Hands-on training on a variety of 3D printer models

This intensive week course is designed to take the student one step further in 3D, namely to design a mesh and take it through the 3D printing process. With 8 printers available, a limited intake of students will be effected with max 20 students attending.

Students will then learn how to design, prepare and print their own designs, and it is planned that this course will enable students then to use the printer lab at their own discretion.

Intensive week course, with a Moodle virtual environment

Should a student already possess the knowledge and practice of 3D printing, it is possible for that student to design a mesh in the 3D package of his/her choice and then take it through the printing process from the STL file stage onwards. If the person has 3D prints that he/she has printed previously and individually, these can be considered at the teacher’s contact hour.

MUM8TA001 – Basic 3D Design with Blender MUST be taken prior to this course with a good grade, or, the student must display adequate design competence using Blender, 3DS Max, or Cinema 4D.

Any other 3D package can be considered, if it exports STL file format files.

The student

has a passable knowledge of the 3D design process
understands the use of different file formats
understands the significance of the concept of manifold objects
manages to create a very simple printable mesh
manages to take the object through the printing process and the result is a small and simple 3D printed object

The student

has a good knowledge of the 3D design process
understands the use of different file formats and is able to move between file formats as necessary
understands the significance of the concept of manifold objects and uses tools to check for manifold properties
manages to create a more complex printable mesh
manages to take the object through the printing process and the result is a relatively complex 3D printed object

The student

has an extensive knowledge of the 3D design process
understands the use of different file formats and is able to move between file formats as necessary
understands the significance of the concept of manifold objects and uses tools to check for manifold properties
manages to create a very complex or multi-part printable mesh
manages to take the object through the printing process and the result is a complex or multi-part 3D printed object