Design and 3D Printing

3D printing, from the basics to designing and printing your own creation. This twelve-week course will take you through the first steps of 3D printing and will see you become a product designer of your own. This twelve-week course is divided into two units, each six weeks long (with a break in-between each unit).

Unit 1 – Introduction to Computer Aided Design and 3D Printing

Additive manufacturing, more commonly known now as 3D printing, is a collection of technologies that allow us to create anything, regardless of its complexity. It is used in nearly every sector across the world, from automotive engineering to art. Rather than being limited by manufacturing technologies, 3D printing offers the design freedom to make the things we want with consideration for the environment and sustainability.

In this innovative unit, you will learn how to use simple software tools (computer aided design – CAD) to create designs that may then be turned into a physical form using 3D printing. These physical forms can be made in different materials and colours, depending on their intended use. No previous knowledge or experience of CAD or 3D Printing is needed to participate, full support and encouragement will be provided.

Unit 2 – Product Design with 3D Printing

There are thousands of new products each year, from computer mice to new cars and everything in between. All of these products not only need to be designed, but also manufactured. Rapid-prototyping with 3D printers allow new product designs to be made and iterated through until a viable solution is finalised.

In this unit, you will learn to use 3D printing as a valuable tool to create a minimal viable product (MVP) to meet a specified design brief. You will be encouraged to iterate and prototype to try out different designs and evaluate them against the design brief.

This twelve-week course combines a mixture of flexible independent work and on-campus workshops. Each unit also has optional assessments. Even though submission is optional, the assessment end product will allow you to demonstrate your newly developed skill to future employers.

On completion of the course, you will receive an accreditation in the form of a Digital Badge to recognise the work you have done in building your confidence in this area. And, of course, you’ll receive Rise points which can count towards your degree profile.