Day 1

• Brief history of 3D printing and basic concepts such as file types, infill, shells and supports
• Different additive manufacturing technologies, FDM, SLA, polyjet, SLS, powder/binder printing
• Common material choices available

Day 2

• Material issues specific to additive manufacturing
• Discuss which material/process to use for a particular protoyping/final use project using a wide variety of examples from HVAMC/industry collaborations. Participants are encouraged to bring in questions about “live” projects. 
• Relative costs of different processes
• How to orient parts and adjust print settings
• Demonstration of tensile strength load frame testing of 3D printed parts

Day 3

• Discussion on the precision, accuracy and tolerances associated with the different 3D printing processes
• Participants will print samples by FDM and polyjet to illustrate these properties
• Participants will design a part, with parts that move, for three different types of printers illustrating differences in tolerance

Day 4

• Common file errors: how to identify them, print errors they cause, and how to fix them
• Common print errors caused by sources other than file errors
• Post-processing techniques

Day 5

• Use of 3D printing in other fabrication methods such as investment casting, molding, thermo-forming, etc.
• Wrap-up discussion of how 3D printing changes how we should think about design and latest developments in 3D printing technology.

The Hudson Valley Advanced Manufacturing Center (HVAMC) at SUNY New Paltz is the nation’s leading academic center for 3D printing applications. The HVAMC was the first academic lab to receive the Stratasys MakerBot Additive Research and Teaching (SMART) designation and is home to the world’s first MakerBot Innovation Lab. In addition to creating the highly innovative Digital Design and Fabrication minor (newpaltz.edu/ddf), the HVAMC has worked with over 150 companies and entrepreneurs on an enormous range of prototyping and end use projects.