Potentials of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality for Mechanical Engineering Education at the Age of Personal 3D Printers

PowerPoint Presentation

Tanil Ozkan, Visiting Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Yasushi Mizuno, 3D Printing Lead Developer at MEENTroy Mitchell, Technical Laboratory Coordinator at MEEN

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Potentials of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) for Mechanical Engineering Education at the Age of Personal 3D Printers

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3D Printing: A Game Changer 3D printing is revolutionizing the world and this is not an overstatement.

From prosthetics to mechanical parts and components with extremely complex geometries, the process of making three-dimensional products by using digital files is driving the next industrial revolution, many experts say.A Brief History of Additive Manufacturing [1]:

1960s, solid model data compatibility with machine tools was achieved via low-level machine language based software funded by the NSF. Prof Voelckers tools transformed manufacturing starting early 1970syou could go from screen to sheen with CNC tools cutting metal via subtractive prototyping and manufacturing.

33D Printing: Chronology

Additive manufacturing technologies grew out of a commercial need for rapid prototyping: 1987, Carl Deckard devised SLS (selective laser sintering*) to build models by additive processing. No corporation would fund the research, NSF provided first seed grant [1].

Photopolymerization& SLASLSFDMIt wasnt until 2009 that 3D printing suddenly became accessible and affordable for schools to adopt. Thats when MakerBot released the first commercially available 3D printer (FDM), which was initially available as a kit, so it required some assembly before use [2].

Chronology is taken from Ref [3].3

4Democratization of Manufacturing: The Rise of 3D Printing In 2014, MakerBot was acquired by Stratasysthe company that invented FDM printingfor more than $400 million, and, more importantly, had launched a 3D printing revolution in K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and public libraries throughout the country [2].

The Airbike, unveiled in 2011 by EADS is the worlds first 3-D printed bicycle. Made from nylon powder, the Airbike is strong enough to replace steel or aluminum and does not require conventional maintenance or assembly. It is grown from powder, allowing complete sections to be built as one piece; the wheels, bearings and axle being incorporated within the growing process and built at the same time [4]. (Photo: EADS)

Reef, a wall and ceiling lampdesigned by Tanja Soeter forFOC, resembles a coral reef [4].

5Democratization of Manufacturing: Maker Movement and Crossbreeding of 3D Printing with IoT (Internet of Things)

Today, the so-called maker movement is reinventing how teachers and students approach STEM education, offering a practical way to connect serious STEM education to a users passion. As schools and institutions are discovering, a 3D printing center often known as a makerspace can provide a forum for increased collaboration and innovation that will help train the next generation of engineers, industrial designers, and artists [2].

6Examples from Academia:

Two-year-old Emma was born with a rarecongenital disorder known as arthrogryposiswhich means she does not have the strengthto lift her own arms. Using 3-D printing technologies, researchers at Delaware Hospital and Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Delaware developed a durable custom exoskeleton with the tiny, lightweight parts she needs to be able to move her arms. Emma calls her prosthesis her magic arms [4]. (Photo: Stratasys Corp.)

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: For a Design and Digital Fabrication class, a group of mechanical engineering students produced a sensor integrated drone using an experimental 3D Printer developed in the same class [2]. (EADS Research)

7Examples from Texas A&M Mechanical Engineering:

8Examples from Texas A&M Mechanical Engineering:

Courtesy of Rico Balakit

9Student 3D Printing Studio of Texas A&M Mechanical Engineering:

Portabee-GO portable 3D Printer.

Why do we want to integrate extensive technical 3D printing skill sets to the mechanical engineering curriculum?

The 2015 Higher Education Edition of the NMC Horizon Report has identified 3D printing as one of three technologies (the other two are big data/cloud computing and wearable tech) expected to enter mainstream use in the mid-term horizon of three to five years. One of the most significant aspects of 3D printing for education, the report notes, is that it enables more authentic exploration of objects that may not be readily available to universities. [2]

According to a 2013 Brookings Institution study, 20 percent of all jobs require a high level of knowledge in any STEM field. In addition, according to WANTED Analytics, 35% of all engineering jobs require 3D printing skills. At the same time, recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that STEM jobs will grow faster than other jobs over the next decade and will pay higher wages overall for qualified employees. [2,5]

A 2015 study at the University of Nevada, Reno finds that in the near term, higher educations need for 3D printing services could be both substantial and broad-based across disciplines. The same study points out Anecdotal observation suggests that 3D printer access directly enables deeper engagement with and construction of knowledge. [6] "I hear and I forget. I read and I remember. I do and I understand." Confucius10

How are we planning to integrate extensive technical 3D printing skill sets to the mechanical engineering curriculum?

11MEEN 210 (Geometric Modeling for Mechanical Design)CourseCompetence/ Skill sets to be gained by studentsCAD, Geometry optimization, mesh formation, surface tessalation, 3D Printing basicsMEEN 360/361 (Materials and Manufacturing in Design)Materials selection for 3D Printing, filament making, polymer composites, 3D Scanning basics, rapid prototyping, slicing and quality assuranceMEEN 401/402 (Senior Design)Implementation of all acquired 3D printing skill sets in various stages of senior design projects.MEEN 489/689 (Stacked undergrad/graduate level technical elective course )Specialized course on Additive Manufacturing Technology

Applications of AR and VR in 3D Printing Education

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3D scans are often severely broken. This poses an important issue for 3D Printing as closing the holes by an automated algorithm is not always enough. Irregularities should be detected and surface smoothening should be applied to ensure superior quality.

Applications of AR and VR in Mechanism Design, Functionality Testing and Animation

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Prior to 3D Printing, mechanicalfunctionality, homologation and ergonomics testing of parts and component assemblies can be done in Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality environment (Virtual Prototyping). In machine design and senior design courses students can make use of animations to scrutinize innovative ideas.

AR and VR Implementation in the 3D Printing Studio of TAMU Mechanical Engineering: Current State of the Art

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Designed part, component or assembly

Pictures are courtesy of Dr. Su from the VRML of the University of Maryland [7]

AR and VR Implementation in MEEN 361 Labs of Texas A&M Mechanical Engineering: Future Plans

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Welding simulators will be implemented in MEEN 361 starting Spring 2016, Materials and Manufacturing in Design labs and will be available to student project groups such as SAE or ASME as well.

Picture: Soldamatic Welding Simulator [8] An interactive simulator with materials testing laboratory capabilities will be developed together with Dr. Arun Srinivasa. It will enable students to explore different types of engineering materials and determine their properties through virtual experiments designed according to common test standards (ISO, ASTM).

Picture: VMTL Bedo Education [9]


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Developer version of Microsoft HoloLens will be released in early 2016. For CAD, virtual prototyping and 3D printing, simulations, training modules, and virtual materials testing, we anticipate profound changes in interactive capabilities as holographic computing gains a foothold in these applications.

Pictures: Microsoft HoloLens Website [10]


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Source:Microsoft HoloLens Website [10]


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Source:Microsoft HoloLens Website [10]

AR and VR Implementation in MEEN 361 Labs of Texas A&M Mechanical Engineering: Future Plans19

Acknowledgements

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Also: Dr. Peter Hamilton, Robert Irving, Hannah Stroud, Mitch Wittneben and all other faculty and staff members of the Mechanical Engineering Department, who assist us with the facility creation process of the Student 3D Printing Studio.

References

21[1] History of Additive Manufacturing, Terry Wohlers and Tim Gornet, Wohler Report, 2014.

[2] http://pages.makerbot.com/rs/444-ZTM-866/images/3D-Printing_Campus_Technology_White_paper.pdf

[3] A Brief History of Additive Manufacturing and the 2009 Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing: Looking Back and Looking Ahead, David L. Bourell , Joseph J. Beaman, Jr., Ming C. Leu and David W. Rosen, RapidTech, 2009.

[4] 3-D Printing and the Future of Stuff, Catherine Jewell, available at: http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2013/02/article_0004.html

[5] Reshaping the Educational Environment for Tomorrows Workforce, Richard M. Rhodes, Educause, 2015.

[6] Making It Real: 3D Printing as a Library Service, Patrick Colegrove, Educause, 2014.

[7] http://www.umbc.edu/engineering/me/vrml/index.html

[8] http://www.certilas.nl/en/content/weldplus-soldamatic-welding-simulation

[9] http://www.bedoeg.com/

[10] http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/projects/hololens/