From CAD to Creation: Advanced Engineering Manufacturing
Sean Kraft
ID-249
School Name:Marco Island Academy
Grant Request Grade:9-12
Grant Request Subject:STEM
Additional Details
The goal of this project is to expand students’ access to authentic engineering design and advanced manufacturing. Students will move beyond designing objects digitally by creating, manufacturing, testing, measuring, and improving functional prototypes. Through this process, students will develop practical skills in CAD, additive manufacturing, materials science, measurement, troubleshooting, and iterative engineering design. The project will also introduce students to the importance of selecting appropriate manufacturing materials based on strength, temperature resistance, dimensional stability, and long-term performance.
Students will use the 3D printer as part of the complete engineering design process rather than simply printing finished models. Students will identify problems, establish design criteria, create CAD models, manufacture prototypes, test their designs, collect measurements, identify weaknesses, and revise their work.
Projects may include mechanical components, robotics parts, structural prototypes, laboratory fixtures, organizational solutions, engineering challenge components, and other functional designs. Digital calipers will allow students to compare the dimensions of manufactured parts with their original CAD specifications and investigate tolerances and manufacturing error. An infrared thermometer will allow students to collect temperature data during investigations involving friction, motors, insulation, energy transfer, and material performance.
Students will also investigate material selection. Standard PLA is excellent for rapid prototyping, while engineering materials such as ABS provide greater heat resistance and better resistance to long-term deformation under sustained loads. Students will learn about concepts such as material strength, stiffness, dimensional stability, and creep while deciding which material is appropriate for a particular application.
The equipment will support repeated design-build-test-improve cycles throughout the engineering course, giving students experience with the same iterative problem-solving process used in modern engineering and manufacturing.
Students will gain hands-on experience with engineering design, manufacturing, measurement, material selection, data analysis, and problem-solving. Instead of evaluating a project simply by whether it works, students will be expected to collect evidence about how well it works and use that information to improve the design.
Students will develop proficiency in CAD and additive manufacturing while learning to consider real engineering constraints such as tolerances, material properties, heat, mechanical loading, durability, cost, and manufacturability. They will also practice collaboration, troubleshooting, safe equipment use, technical communication, and perseverance when an initial design does not perform as expected.
Student learning will be demonstrated through CAD models, manufactured prototypes, engineering notebooks, dimensional measurements, testing data, design revisions, and project reflections. Students will be expected to identify weaknesses in an initial prototype and explain how collected evidence influenced at least one design improvement.
Because this equipment is reusable, the project will benefit current students as well as future engineering classes and will allow increasingly sophisticated design challenges to be incorporated into the curriculum over time.
Grant funding will be used to purchase a Bambu Lab X2D AMS Combo 3D printer, four kilograms of black ABS engineering filament, two digital calipers, and an infrared thermometer.
The 3D printer will provide the primary manufacturing platform for students to transform CAD designs into physical prototypes that can be tested and revised. The AMS system will expand material-management capabilities and support more complex student manufacturing projects.
Black ABS filament was intentionally selected as an engineering material rather than simply as additional printing material. PLA is an excellent material for rapid classroom prototyping, but functional components that remain under continuous mechanical load can gradually deform over time. ABS provides greater heat resistance and improved long-term dimensional stability, making it better suited for durable brackets, fixtures, mechanical components, storage systems, and other functional designs where resistance to sagging and long-term creep is important. This provides students with an authentic opportunity to learn that successful engineering requires selecting a material based not only on cost or ease of manufacturing, but also on how the finished component will actually be used.
The digital calipers will allow students to measure manufactured components precisely, compare finished dimensions with CAD specifications, calculate manufacturing error, and investigate tolerances. The infrared thermometer will support quantitative investigations involving heat transfer, friction, motors, insulation, materials, and energy.
Together, these materials create a complete design, manufacture, measure, test, and redesign workflow rather than simply providing students with another piece of classroom technology.
