Before this class, my familiarity with 3D printing only extended to printing cool figures and objects. I remember walking into the maker lab and seeing colorful objects everywhere on the walls. Each object was of different complexities and I could not believe that a machine was able to make such intricate designs. I took this class hoping to gain more experience with 3D printing. One thing was for sure, I did not realize that there was a lot more to 3D printing and its applications in the world than I could ever imagine. I learned how much 3D printing has evolved in the last 40 years, like being able to print out parts of a car or being cheap enough for small startups to invest in. I am able to understand just how influential 3D printing can be to a business or organization and I can make many connections when I hear about it. There are so many uses in so many industries, from the medical field to education to the automotive industry, that the possibilities are becoming limitless. It is such an important tool because of how fast it works and how cost effective it is.
In our first couple of weeks, we learned how to use Fusion360 and print simple objects with the 3D printer. Along the way we were also introduced to the human centered design process that focuses on making iterations on the product being developed with the user in mind. We were given a topic to explore the pain points and then started to ideate for potential solutions. At this point I did not know that we would actually end up making a prototype of the solution we chose as we were still in the design and brainstorming phase. One class, our instructor and TA introduced us to Arduino boards and electrical engineering concepts. I was a bit confused at first as to why we were learning about engineering in the first place (since this class was offered by the business school) however eventually I learned that we would be required to make a prototype for our design idea using a microcontroller. Our group came up with a sensor that would count people as they got onto the bus and essentially send the data to a website for collection and analysis. This people tracker would help optimize bus routes to make the transportation service much more convenient for students on campus.
As a business major, I will say that it was a bit overwhelming to see all the wires and trying to figure out the connections but the learning process through the iterations and trial and errors was really rewarding in the end. This class was very different from a traditional business course because not only was it very hands-on, but it was also quite technical, especially for business students. As an information systems major, I really appreciated learning the applications of technical concepts because I was able to see all the planning and thought process that went into designing and developing a product. Alongside this class, I was also taking an electrical engineering course for my minor in technology and management. So there was a lot of overlap in the concepts I learned in my ECE course and this class. It was really interesting to learn about the resistors and capacitors and then actually implement parts of that knowledge while we were making our prototype in the 3D printing course. This class definitely helped me understand how circuits and machines come together much better. However there were still a lot of complexities and confusions while our group was building the prototype.
Throughout this class, there were a couple guest speakers that talked to us about their experience in design and prototyping. One specific speaker that I remember came in to show us how he designed a product using a 3D printer prototype that now helps many people in hospitals. He explained to us how he had to invest in a 3D printer to start designing his product since it was much cheaper than outsourcing to a prototyping/3D printing company. Along the way he explained how he had to self learn all the ins and outs of 3D printing to eventually get him a successful prototype. Seeing the iterations of his product and how far it had gone to different organizations was really inspiring for us because we were able to see that you do not need experience to start and it is all a self learning process.
I really enjoyed working in Fusion360. It was like unlocking a new level as I increased my familiarity with the platform. In the future, if I ever need to design something for my design club, my class, or even a home improvement project, I would be rather excited to design it on Fusion360. Once you get the hang of it, it is intuitive and easy to use.
Often in our business courses, we are lost behind the finances and designing the infrastructure of the company or process. However this class offered a different outlook on the engineering side of things where we got to actually build our designs. The most interesting part of this class was learning how to problem solve, which we do not really get much of in our business classes. I gained a lot of confidence in this class. Because a lot of the project was self learning, we learned on our own, we made the mistakes and we learned how to correct them. It showed me that I do not need to be afraid and self doubt my capabilities outside my skills. This project showed me the patience and practice that is required to learn a new skill outside of the classroom. Now I am more encouraged to try different skill sets and try new things outside of my major’s scope. It is good to learn on paper and understand the concept but it is equally important to get tangible experience.
