Exploring the Educational Opportunities of Toolpath-level Control for 3D Printing

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I created and evaluated this curriculum for/with the Summer Institute in Mathematics and Science (SIMS) during the summer of 2024. There were four participants, all incoming college freshman students from different backgrounds. Students chose this project from other projects led by other UCSB graduate students.

This project focuses on designing and evaluating a curriculum tailored for incoming undergraduate students interested in computational design and CAM-based fabrication. The curriculum introduces students to CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) as an alternative to traditional CAD (Computer-Aided Design), highlighting how designers can directly control machine parameters like speed, extrusion rate, and toolpath to explore complex geometries and material behaviors. CAM-based design enables students to create innovative artifacts by leveraging machine precision and material dynamics.

Key Objectives:

Introduce CAM-based design principles and how they differ from CAD-based workflows.
Explore the creative potential of CAM, empowering students to design at the toolpath level while manipulating machine settings for creative expression.
Evaluate material behavior and design strategies by experimenting with 3D printing parameters such as layer height, extrusion rate, and print speed.
Promote computational thinking through hands-on experience, using CAM design to engage students with programming concepts, mathematics, and geometry in a practical context.

Curriculum Highlights:

Hands-on experiments to explore how changes in printing parameters affect the quality, texture, and structural integrity of objects.
Comparative studies on how different geometric forms (e.g., cylinders vs. cubes) respond to CAM settings, providing students with insight into material behavior and design adaptation.
Interdisciplinary learning that bridges craft, digital fabrication, and computational design, offering students an integrated understanding of how these fields intersect in practice.
Research Impact: The curriculum fosters creativity, problem-solving, and technical skills by engaging undergraduate students in CAM-based design. Students learn to blend craft techniques with digital tools, paving the way for innovation in fields such as textiles, ceramics, and personalized fabrication. This work not only advances educational methodologies but also contributes to the broader research community by identifying optimal 3D printing processes and material-driven design strategies.