DIY 3D Printing: Open source 3D printer development by students of engineering product design

This paper documents a project undertaken by undergraduate students of Engineering Product Design at the author’s institution. Five small groups were each provided with a kit of components for a RepRapPro Huxley 3D printer, and tasked with assembling, testing, and then redesigning it to improve or adapt its function. They were asked to document the process, and encouraged to share their learning experiences and innovations online through the ‘Instructables’ website. The objectives of the project were to emulate the self directed educational nature of the Maker Movement in an academic setting, to foster a level of craftsmanship in students’ use of 3D printing as a tool for design and to explore their attitudes towards open intellectual property. The results are presented through descriptions of the redesigned printers, observations from the tutor throughout the process, and feedback from the students themselves. Two of the five groups chose to publish their designs online; these were highly positive about the feedback they received from the community. It is concluded that the project provided a highly beneficial, contemporary and relevant project based learning experience, deepening students’ practical understanding of 3D printing technologies and extending the capacity for independent learning.