3D printing for Education

Scientific research is a field that is crucial to ensuring progress, both scientific and business. Researchers need the ability to change printing parameters. It is crucial in understanding the properties of the printout based on the process parameters, and tuning those properties for special applications.

3D printing is present in a growing number of faculties and university departments. From computer graphics, via design and manufacturing with polymers, engineering design, and general engineering, through graphic design, industrial engineering, informatics, mechanical design, and manufacturing processes, to product and industrial design, product development, and product realization. All those classes are crucial for future designers and creators.

You can learn about the advantages and disadvantages of 3D printing or find out the differences between additive manufacturing and conventional manufacturing methods. Students need to know the differences between various AM technologies to be sure which one applies best to their project needs. What’s more, some universities have classes learning about business opportunities of 3D printing, or even recognizing current and future 3d printing applications.

Besides teaching the 3d printing technology itself, universities use 3D printers to create artifacts needed for educational purposes. One of the most common artifacts is the exoskeleton.

Sinterit’s SLS technology was used to optimize a wide range of pharmaceutical products in the form of tablets. The technology was coupled with Hot Melt Extrusion for the engineering of SLS printable powders.

The SLS process improved print quality and reliability, over the previously used FDM approach and resulted in highly detailed prints. The human brain phantom was printed in two halves so that the remaining powder could easily be removed from the non-visible areas. After that, the halves were glued together.