No Proof Reading At The 3D Printer!
By Kevin White
SDSU
LDT 540 Wed.
No Proof Reading At The 3D Printer!
Introduction
The Learning Choice Academy (TLC) has invested in 3D printers to be used in their middle school and high school engineering classes. The 201516 school year is the second year that the printers have been incorporated into classrooms for teacher and student use. Based on the data collected from the primary user, approximately 40% of the prints that were attempted failed to finish, printed incorrectly, or did not meet the standards of the student or teacher. This resulted in an unexpected waste in expensive print filament that was unnecessary and time consuming to troubleshoot. This prompted a performance analysis to identify gaps and determine optimals.
The performance analysis included research collected from both TLC stakeholders and 3D printing experts in the field with at least 3 years of experience. The research included both surveys and interviews to focus on the most prevalent drivers that resulted in the waste of print filament.
The data collected from the analysis pointed at several drivers that exacerbate the wasted filament problem, which the analysis indicated should approximate an optimal 30% Marginal Print Failure (MPF) for this school year upon the implementation of the job aid. The job aid and solution system will address the following drivers: Skills and Knowledge gap as related to execution of the process, Performance Expectations and Specifications as related to
submission of files, Incentives and Consequences as related to the liberties and requirements for printing and Environment and Tools as related to availability of software.
Analysis Techniques: Objectives
● All teachers and students, provided with a job aid, will complete the required checklist before attempting each and every print 100% of the time.
● All teachers and students, provided with a job aid, will submit files and checklists to the appropriate submission folders 100% of the time.
● All teachers and students, provided with a job aid, will reduce the MPF to 30% for the remainder of the 201516 school year based on the aggregate print data collected.
Job Aid Media and Design
In order to develop a job aid that can achieve these objectives, it was determined that students would need something simple, highly visual and easy to access. This prompted a job aid that actually involves two different media. First, a paper checklist: 3D Printing Software Solutions
Checklist (see Appendix A), printed in color, with a clear path that flows seamlessly and is easy
functions with Google Apps (laptop, tablet, or cell phone). This Google Slides presentation, 3D
Printing Software Solutions Presentation (see Appendix B), will support new users with visuals
and additional instruction addressing the questions and solutions from the checklist during initial use. The presentation will also direct them to the website (see Solution System) if even further assistance or instruction for hardware is required.
Pilot Test
During pilot testing, several students and teachers used and reviewed the job aid. The pilot testing sampled individuals with no 3D printing experience, as well as those with experience, to gauge how broadly applicable the job aid is. Inexperienced users were given very simple geometric STL part files, while experienced users were given more complex abstract STL files that are more difficult to set up in the 3D print software environment. The results were
promising, but did indicate the need for some simple revisions.
Print Experience:
User Result Indicated Revision
Inexperienced:
Teacher Able to use the job aid with very little support from the instructor and
execute a print without wasted filament. The use of a mouse with the 3D print software was found to be a helpful tool as opposed to the laptop pad.
Suggest in writing on the job aid that a mouse is advised for 3D print MakerBot software.
Experienced:
Teacher Able to execute with the the job aid on the first attempt the print successfully
without wasted filament. Suggested a video showing how to use the actual 3D printer for students.
For the job aid website, a video explaining “How to 3D Print Using a Makerbot Replicator 2” will be added.
Inexperienced:
Student Able to use the link on the job aid checklist to help understand the questions. Submitted the file to the shared Google Drive folder without adding a name to the file. Submitted the paper checklist without any indication of file name. Able to execute print without wasted filament.
Job aid users, provided with naming convention example on job aid, will be required to write the file name on the checklist to make sure they can access and find it later when it is time to actually print.
Experienced:
Student Able to executeno guidance from the instructor and print successfully with
without wasted filament. Wanted to explain some detail to the instructor,
but had no place to add in notes.
Pilot Testing Revisions
All prints were completed successfully with zero filament waste and less than the anticipated amount of involvement from the supervising instructor. The pilot testing achieved the objectives of an MPF under 30%, in addition to 100% correct file submission and use of the job aid. However, the pilot testing indicated the need for some simple revisions to improve the job aid. Most notably, the checklist itself required the addition of three sections. At the top of the checklist, the job aid required the inclusion of the phrase, “When using MakerBot software, a mouse is strongly advised.” Secondly, the job aid now includes a section at the bottom for notes and comments to help communicate anything not indicated by the existing fields of the checklist. Lastly, a section was created that provides an example of how to name the print file, and requires that the user to write the file name down onto the checklist before submission. In addition to changes on the checklist, a suggestion was made to add a video to the job aid website that will include a video tutorial on how to use the 3D printer itself. This video, “How to 3D Print Using a Makerbot Replicator 2,” will be added to the website as a supplement to the job aid.
Solution System
The website, outlined below (see Appendix C), shows an outline of the content that will be provided to train students and teachers before printer use as well as during and after printing, when troubleshooting or support may be necessary. The job aid website will serve as a centralized location for all 3D print needs, with a clear and structured layout. Not only will the checklist and embedded presentation be available, but additional nested support pages and links. This website will offer suggestions for 3D modeling options including their export features, video tutorials that detail specifics on using Makerware Desktop Software, as well as additional video support that indicates the functionality of the 3D printer and its interface. Engineering teachers and students will be required to navigate the site and complete an assessment that will measure the degree to which they understand the necessary information needed to execute a successful print. The website will be designed in a way that not only prepares students and teachers for 3D printing, but also allows for expedited growth and increased familiarity with engineering and prototyping as it relates to the 21st century.
Appendix A
Appendix B
