The rise of 3-D printing

3D printing, or additive manufacturing has been gaining a lot of grounds recently. There are even people that are comparing 3D printing to the next industrial revolution. True or not, we can not ignore the fact that it is becoming more prevalent and also more affordable to the general public.

3D printing is not a new invention, according to 3ders the first 3-D printer came around 1984. However, the fast decreasing cost for resins and printer cost is what is making it caught on. The vision is that soon, general consumers will be bale to customize products exactly to their needs Merchandise like this toothbrush that are made customized to anyone's teeth is no longer matter of possibility but matter of price.

There are also a large community out there for building 3 D printers, since the current cost range for a commercial one range from $2000 to $15000.  Take a look at this recent kick starter project that are promoting homemade 3D printers as low as $100.

The good news are not just for general consumers too, big companys have also started eyeing on 3D printing, most likely due to the possbibilities of complex shape and the ease it may have transfering from design to manufacturing. A while ago, GE just announced that they have used  3-D printed nozzle parts for their LEAP-1A engine. This raises some good possibilities as it is easy to see if part of a jet engine will be using parts that are 3D printed, they obviously meet the stringent requirement of the traditional manufactured part.

Maybe 3D printer will bring the the  new wave of change like the PC did back in the 90s.

Time in EPICS

 

EPICS is probably the best preparation for students who are looking to get real experiences while still having the "bullet proof jacket" of being a student, i.e. making mistakes will not result in catastrophic results.

I have only been involved with my current team since the beginning of this semester. Our team, Global Alternative Power Solutions (GAPS) focuses on designing low cost, sustainable solar systems for areas with low power infrastructure. The team is quite new, with young members who have very good drive and are still very creative with designs. Comparatively, this means the team is lacking some technical expertise and the background to deliver final solutions.

As I am one of the senior member in the team, my focus this semester is to complete the final detail engineering for an off grid solar panel system that is capable of providing power for a day to an elementary school at a remote site in Colombia. The system has been reviewed and feasibility has been tested, however, the previous, younger team has not specified any information regarding the quantity of exact components, commissioning, and delivery of the solution.
With my process modeling background from one of my co-op assignments, I was able to pull the old materials together and through some programing, automated the system components selection process. This way, if any changes from the partners are communicated, changes can be made quickly. This also helped the rest of the team as they start a design for a similar system specified for a chicken coop in Haiti.

The most rewarding experience out of this course though, is not the contribution I was able to make, but perhaps the opportunity I get from interacting with the other members. Since I am working with students outside of mechanical engineering, a lot of materials need to be quickly covered in a crash course manner. New graphs, figures need to be made as they have different level of familiarity. This process really put what I have learned in the past to test, it also shines lights on a lot of the visual aspects I have not been paying attention to in the past. Most importantly, when the explanations pay off after the other party nod with a “big cheese” on their faces, it is just incomparable to any other courses I have taken at Purdue.

GAPS Team Website: http://epics.ecn.purdue.edu/gaps/