Expanding 3D Printing Horizons with Resin

Impact to My Classroom

# of Students Impacted: 20

The Elegoo Mars 3D Printer is a unique new addition to our Academy of Engineering. While traditional 3D printers melt plastic and extrude it in layers, the Elegoo Mars uses a liquid resin, that it hardens with an ultraviolet light. While a messier process, this allows for much greater detail and smoother prints. This project was implemented by my Engineering Capstone students, as they calibrated the machine, learned the software, and began to fine-tune settings. Several sample prints were created before these students advanced to designing and printing their own objects. Some of the unique prints included a variety of geometric structures, as well as a set of "Periodic Table Dice" that were designed and 3D printed for our chemistry department.

Unfortunalely, due to the closure of schools, the impact of this printer was not as large as it could have been. 3D printing was going to be the supplemental unit for my Introduction to Engineering Design class. Students that have already passed their Fusion 360 3D Modeling certification began designing their projects in the computer software, but were unable to print their objects. The 20 students that were able to use the printer were my Engineering Capstone students, who took the lead on setting up and calibrating the printer.

Fortunately, the Introduction to Engineering students that missed out on learning to use the 3D Printer will be in the 2nd Year Engineering course next year and plans are being made to supplement some of the hands-on experiences they missed due to the COVID-19 closure.