Setup and evaluation of remotely accessible 3D printer infrastructure for CAD/CAM, CNC, and STEM courses

Abstract

Advances in additive manufacturing (AM) have enabled designers and engineers to demonstrate their ideas and build prototypes efficiently and conveniently. Schools, colleges, and universities have welcomed this technology into their classrooms. Richland College (RLC) of the Dallas County Community College District is a two-year college located in Dallas, Texas. It serves approximately 20, 000 credit students. RLC worked in collaboration with Texas A&M University, located in College Station, Texas to develop and evaluate a remotely accessible 3D printing infrastructure. This paper describes a remotely accessible system consisting of a commercial 3D printer, work-flow processing, and remote viewing. Students can submit a job after a credential check. The STL file is sliced and uploaded to the 3D printer. Students can view the part being made via webcam and streaming via internet video-sharing providers. Results from a survey of two-year college students who used the system suggest they believe that the system is very relevant to their education and would like to see more tool and system like this made available. Students also commented positively on the system setup including the instructions on how to connect to the 3D printer, the ease-of-use of the remote access application software for connectivity to the 3D printer, and the real-time video of the part being made.