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Overview

Course Prescription

Design for additive manufacturing (AM), metal AM, polymer AM, AM technologies, material extrusion, powder bed fusion, vat photopolymerisation, material jetting, binder jetting, AM thought process, economics of AM, support generation, residual stress reduction, post-processing, computational design, light-weighting, topology optimisation, lattice structures, mass-customisation, tooling, conformal cooling, heat exchangers, part consolidation, specialised AM software: nTopology Magics, Inspire, CAD for AM.

Course Overview

This course will teach some practical guidance on how to design parts to gain the maximum benefit from what AM can offer. The course will involve a lot of hands-on project work in which you will design parts for 3D printing, print them, and do all the required post-processing for the parts. This course will teach you how to design for AM and to use the many software technologies that are needed to make part lighter, better and more consistent. This software includes topology optimisation and lattice structures. The hands-on projects will allow you to use the CAD skills you have been taught throughout your engineering degree, and to apply the theory and design skills you are taught.

Topics covered include:

• Recent AM growth trends and developments around the world.

• Benefits of AM, in the context of DfAM, how AM is being applied, and how certain parts can be designed for AM.

• When to use AM and when not to use AM

• The thought processes behind design for AM

• Examining the complete AM process chain, from CAD part creation, to part production. This allows students to see how an understanding of the entire process chain helps them to design better AM parts.

• Description of AM technologies, with advantages/ disadvantages/ applications of each,

• File formats, and working with STL manipulation software such as Magics, Meshmixer, etc.

• Examining AM from an economic point of view for both direct part production and tooling applications. Understanding what you, as a design engineer, can do to minimise the costs.

• Specific issues and design guidelines surrounding polymer AM (FDM, SLS, SLA, etc.), including post-processing, etc.

• Characteristics of metal powders, and how they are made

• Metallurgical properties of metal AM parts

• Specific issues and guidelines around designing for metal AM, including anisotropy, process constraints, general guidelines relating to wall thicknesses, hole sizes, tolerances, angles, etc. Metal AM post-processing and material properties.

• Designing topology optimized parts for additive manufacturing. Basic thought process and methodology behind TO software.

• Approaches to designing lightweight lattice structures. Exploring 3 different common lattice methods.

• The thought process behind part consolidation

• Looking at AM beyond direct part production: Injection molding tools, sheet-metal forming tools, extrusion tools, jigs and fixtures, etc.

• Adding mounting fixtures to parts to ease mounting on CNC machines for more efficient post-processing.

• Using design automation software to add value to AM products. General nTopology intro.

• Mass-customisation

• Looking at where AM and design software tools are headed in the near future, and the implications this will have on DfAM.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in. There is no teaching on this course in weeks 9 and 12 so it is expected that you distribute the corresponding 20 hours of work over other weeks of the course.

For this course, on a typical week you can expect 2 hours of lectures, a 2 hour scheduled tutorial and 2 additional hours of guided teamwork sessions, with the remaining hours spent on reading and thinking about the content as well as working on assignments.

Course Prerequisites, Corequisites and Restrictions

Prerequisite

Locations and Semesters Offered

LocationSemester
City

Teaching and Learning

Campus Experience

Attendance is expected at scheduled activities including labs/tutorials/studios/clinics to complete components of the course.

Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities including seminars/tutorials/labs/studios will not be available as recordings.

The course will not include live online events including group discussions/tutorials.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Taught courses use a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas to provide students with learning materials including reading lists and lecture recordings (where available). Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Copyright

The content and delivery of content in this course are protected by copyright. Material belonging to others may have been used in this course and copied by and solely for the educational purposes of the University under license.


You may copy the course content for the purposes of private study or research, but you may not upload onto any third-party site, make a further copy or sell, alter or further reproduce or distribute any part of the course content to another person.

Health and Safety

Students must complete CDAM lab induction. Students must ensure they are familiar with their Health and Safety responsibilities, as described in the university's Health and Safety policy. 

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed for potential plagiarism or other forms of academic misconduct, using computerised detection mechanisms.

Similarly, research students must meet the University’s expectations of good research practice. This requires:

  • Honesty - in all aspects of research work
  • Accountability - in the conduct of research
  • Professional courtesy and fairness – in working with others
  • Good stewardship – on behalf of others
  • Transparency – of research process and presentation of results
  • Clarity - communication to be understandable, explainable and accessible

For more information on the University’s expectations of academic integrity, please see the Academic Conduct section of the University policy hub.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about taught courses is made available to enrolled students in Canvas.

Students may be asked to submit assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.


Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Course Learning Outcomes

CLO #OutcomeProgramme Capability Link
1
2
3

Assessments

Assessment TypeAssessment PercentageAssessment Classification

Additional Information on Assessment

A passing mark is 50% or higher, according to University policy.

Late submission penalties will be applied as stated on Canvas.

Assessment to CLO Mapping

Assessment Type123

Student Feedback, Support and Charter

Student Feedback

Feedback on taught courses is gathered from students at the end of each semester through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions. Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students. In addition, class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Additional Information on Student Feedback

Only 3 students submitted feedback in 2024, so not enough to warrant making any changes. But we will work to even further clarify how projects get graded next year.

Class representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Tuākana

Tuākana is a multi-faceted programme for Māori and Pacific students providing topic specific tutorials, one-on-one sessions, test and exam preparation and more. Explore your options at Tuakana Learning Communities.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website.

Wellbeing

We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - please see the Support Services page for information on support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed work is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due. If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page. This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter.

Student Academic Complaints and Disputes

Students with concerns about teaching including how a course is delivered, the resources provided, or supervision arrangements, have the right to express their concerns and seek resolution. The university encourages informal resolution where possible, as this is quicker and less stressful. For information on the informal and formal complaints processes, please refer to the Student Academic Complaints Statute in the Student Policies and Guidelines section of the Policy Hub.