Teaching 3D Printing Technology Hands-on

Often, new technologies like additive manufacturing and digital technologies are taught at university primarily theoretically with the help of displaying images and short videos. Students regularly miss the practical application of digital technologies as well as the experience and the possibility to develop creative new ideas with these technologies. Obstacles for applying practical usage of digital technologies for students are for many universities the lack of the required equipment in large amounts as well as of technical knowledge. This paper describes how Munich University of Applied Sciences (MUAS) has integrated 3D printing into lectures for students (in industrial engineering and management) in order to provide them with these highly relevant skills and competences. Students experience how their creative ideas become immediately visible and haptic due to the new approach of additive manufacturing and 3D printing. This provides an excellent basis for follow-up study projects in various modules. The approach is based on a one-day workshop in which the students work in small teams and solve several problems in mini-projects, called assignments. Through the haptic, collaborative and self-directed learning concept, students understand and reflect the functionalities and limitation of 3D printing in detail. The lecturer acts primarily as a coach during these workshops. The overall feedback from students is very positive and the first innovative use cases in following semesters will be described.