MECHENG 755 : Design for Additive Manufacturing

Engineering

2024 Semester One (1243) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Design for additive manufacturing (AM), metal AM, polymer AM, AM technologies, material extrusion, powder bed fusion, vat photopolymerisation, material jetting, binder jetting, AM thought process, economics of AM, support generation, residual stress reduction, post-processing, computational design, light-weighting, topology optimisation, lattice structures, mass-customisation, tooling, conformal cooling, heat exchangers, part consolidation, specialised AM software: nTopology Magics, Inspire, CAD for AM.

Course Overview

This course will teach some practical guidance on how to design parts to gain the maximum benefit from what AM can offer. The course will involve a lot of hands-on project work in which you will design parts for 3D printing, print them, and do all the required post-processing for the parts. This course will teach you how to design for AM and to use the many software technologies that are needed to make part lighter, better and more consistent. This software includes topology optimisation and lattice structures. The hands-on projects will allow you to use the CAD skills you have been taught throughout your engineering degree, and to apply the theory and design skills you are taught.
Topics covered include:
• Recent AM growth trends and developments around the world.
• Benefits of AM, in the context of DfAM, how AM is being applied, and how certain parts can be designed for AM.
• When to use AM and when not to use AM
• The thought processes behind design for AM
• Examining the complete AM process chain, from CAD part creation, to part production. This allows students to see how an understanding of the entire process chain helps them to design better AM parts.
• Description of AM technologies, with advantages/ disadvantages/ applications of each,
• File formats, and working with STL manipulation software such as Magics, Meshmixer, etc.
• Examining AM from an economic point of view for both direct part production and tooling applications. Understanding what you, as a design engineer, can do to minimise the costs.
• Specific issues and design guidelines surrounding polymer AM (FDM, SLS, SLA, etc.), including post-processing, etc.
• Characteristics of metal powders, and how they are made
• Metallurgical properties of metal AM parts
• Specific issues and guidelines around designing for metal AM, including anisotropy, process constraints, general guidelines relating to wall thicknesses, hole sizes, tolerances, angles, etc. Metal AM post-processing and material properties.
• Designing topology optimized parts for additive manufacturing. Basic thought process and methodology behind TO software.
• Approaches to designing lightweight lattice structures. Exploring 3 different common lattice methods.
• The thought process behind part consolidation
• Looking at AM beyond direct part production: Injection molding tools, sheet-metal forming tools, extrusion tools, jigs and fixtures, etc.
• Adding mounting fixtures to parts to ease mounting on CNC machines for more efficient post-processing.
• Using design automation software to add value to AM products. General nTopology intro.
• Mass-customisation
• Looking at where AM and design software tools are headed in the near future, and the implications this will have on DfAM.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: MECHENG 235

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate the ability to design for additive manufacturing (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 6.1)
  2. Demonstrate the ability to design light weight structures for metal and polymer additive manufacturing technologies (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 6.1)
  3. Analyse your design to ensure they will meet appropriate mechanical requirements (Capability 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1 and 6.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Projects 90% Individual Coursework
Quizzes 10% Individual Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3
Projects
Quizzes

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in. There is no teaching on this course in weeks 9 and 12 so it is expected that you distribute the corresponding 20 hours of work over other weeks of the course.

For this course, on a typical week you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 2 hour scheduled tutorial and 2 additional hours of guided teamwork sessions, with the remaining hours spent on reading and thinking about the content as well as working on assignments.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including labs/tutorials/studios/clinics to complete components of the course.

Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including seminars/tutorials/labs/studios will not be available as recordings.

The course will not include live online events including group discussions/tutorials.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Health & Safety

Students must complete CDAM lab induction.
Students are expected to adhere to the guidelines outlined in the Health and Safety section of the Engineering Undergraduate Handbook.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Only 3 students submitted feed back, so not enough to warrant making any changes. But we will work to even further clarify how projects get graded next year.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.