Design and Rapid Prototyping Lab

The Design and Rapid Prototyping Lab at Purdue Polytechnic Institute New Albany offers students access to advanced engineering design and rapid prototyping tools and technologies, such as 3D printers, CNC machines, and robotics. It supports various courses in engineering technology (ET), manufacturing, and engineering design with a student-centered and learn-by-doing approach. The lab facilitates a strong use of active learning (e.g. project-based learning, experimental learning, inquiry-based learning, etc.) enabling students to bring their ideas to life and to improve professional (e.g. teamwork, problem-solving, critical thinking, etc.) and technical skills (e.g. CAD, programming, etc.).

The Laboratory Serves:

Course Description
ENGT 18200 Gateway to Engineering Technology
TECH 12000 Design Thinking in Technology
CGT 11000 Technical Graphics Communications
MET 10200 Production Design and Specifications
MET 24500 Manufacturing systems
MET 30200 Computer-Aided Design in the Enterprise
MET 45100 Manufacturing Quality Control
MFET 10301 Geometric Modeling Applications

Available Software:

Brand Description/Capabilities

SOLIDWORKS® Premium (Dassault Systèmes®)

  • Used for used for designing, engineering, and simulating mechanical and electrical products and systems across various industries

    • Mechanical/Electrical Computer-Aided Design (CAD)
    • Model-based definition (MBD)
    • Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)
    • Finite Element Analysis (FEA)/Simulation: Static, frequency, buckling, thermal, nonlinear, drop, fatigue, flow, and pressure
    • Routing: Electrical harness, pipes, tubes, and ducts
    • Hardware/Part libraries
    • Photo realistic renderings 
    • Analysis: Sustainability, motion, and cost 
    • 2D technical drawings and engineering product definition

AutoCAD® (Autodesk®)

  • Used for drafting and designing 2D and 3D models in various engineering, architectural, and construction fields

MATLAB® (MathWorks®)

  • Used for numerical computing, data analysis, and algorithm development (High-level programming language)
Arduino® IDE (Open-source)
  • Used for writing, compiling, and uploading code to Arduino micro-controllers
BrickLink® Studio (Open-source)
  • Used for creating and rendering virtual LEGO models and building instructions
EV3 Lab (LEGO®)
  • Used for designing and controlling Mindstorm robotics (Icon-based programming language)
Creality® Slicer (Open-source)
  • Used for preparing 3D CAD models for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) additive manufacturing 
Preform (Formlabs®)
  • Used for preparing 3D CAD models for Stereolithography (SLA) additive manufacturing
Easel (Inventables®)
  • Used for designing, simulating, and controlling Computer-Numerical Controlled (CNC) machines

Available Hardware and Equipment:

Function Brand, Description, and/or Specifications

Computing

Dell® Workstations:

  • 30 stations
  • Processor: Intel® Core i7-14700
  • RAM: 32GB
  • GPU: Radeon RX 6500
  • Memory: 1TB SSD
  • Dual monitors

3D Printing

Formlabs® Form 3:

  • Low Force Stereolithography (SLA)
  • Laser-powered (inverted) and intelligent sensors and control system
  • Automatic resin handling and flexible film resin tank
  • 20+ photopolymer/light-activated polymer resins
  • Work Volume: 5.7 x 5.7 x 7.6 in
  • XY Resolution: 25 µm (0.001 in)
  • Layer Thickness: 25–300 µm (0.001–0.012 in)

Washing Station

Formlabs® Wash:

  • Automatically agitates, cleans, and air dries printed SLA printed parts
  • Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) solution

Curing Station

Formlabs® Cure:

  • Automatically cures SLA printed parts
  • Combines heat and 405 nm light
  • Maximizes material properties
  • Max Temperature: 80°C
  • 13 multi-directional light-emitting diodes (LEDs)

3D Printing

 

 

 

   

Afinia3D® H800 and Tiertime® UP Box:

  • Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)
  • HEPA filtration
  • Automatically senses platform level and height
  • Fully enclosed and heated chamber/build plate
  • Wi-Fi compatible and smart filament sensing
  • ABS and PLA materials (1.75 mm)
  • Work Volume: 10 x 8 x 8 in
  • XY Resolution: 100 µm (0.001 in)
  • Layer Thickness: 100–350 µm (0.003–0.014 in)

Milling

Inventables® Carvey:

  • Computer-Numerical Controlled (CNC) 2D milling/carving
  • Automatically senses home and height 
  • Fully enclosed with attached vacuum
  • Work Volume: 11.6 x 8 x 2.75 in
  • Accuracy: 0.003 in
  • Spindle: 300 W, 12,000 RPM, 0.001 in runout
  • Collet: ER-11 (1/8 shank)
  • CNC Bits: 1/32–1/4 in solid carbide tips (up-, down-, and v-bits)
  • Wood, plastic, and soft metal materials
  • Replaceable wasteboard

Project Storage

Wall Control®:

  • 12 stations
  • Steel pegboards, shelves, hooks, and bins
  • Durable, strong, versatile, and visually appealing

Hand Tools

Various:

  • 18V rechargeable cordless drill and impact driver
  • Hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, nutdrivers, hex/allen keys, knives, bit sets, levels, measuring tapes, etc.

3D Scanning

Creality® Raptor:

  • Lightweight and portable handheld scanning for inspection, reverse engineering, mold manufacturing, 3D printing, etc.
  • 2 modes: Hybrid blue light laser (7 lines) and structured near infrared (NIR)
  • Accuracy: Up to 0.0008 in (metrology grade)
  • Scanning Speed: 60 frames per second (FPS) (blue light laser) and 20 FPS (NIR)
  • Scanning Size: 0.43–72 in
  • Anti-shake, 24-bit full-color, face/body scanning

Robotics

ELEGOO® Smart Robot Car Kit:

  • 15+ kits
  • Arduino-based educational robotics kit
  • Input: IR, ultrasonic, and camera
  • Output: Servo motors, servo gimbal, and LEDs

Robotics

LEGO® Mindstorms EV3 Core Set:

  • 30+ kits
  • EVE 3-based educational robotics kit
  • Input: Color, gyro, ultrasonic, IR, and touch buttons
  • Output: Servo motors

Simulation

XPULT™ Catapult:

  • 30+ kits
  • Small, light weight, inexpensive educational simulator used for teaching variability, Six Sigma™, design of experiments (DOE), statistical process control (SPC), process control/improvement, etc.

Gamification

Putt-Putt Project:

  • Used for teaching introductory programming (Arduino), robotics, engineering design, and rapid prototyping in ENGT 18200 via an instructor created team-based project.

Gamification

Trash Pickup Project:

  • Used for teaching introductory programming (LEGO EV3), robotics, engineering design, and rapid prototyping in TECH 12000 via a instructor created team-based project.

Gamification

Cornhole Catapult:

  • Used for teaching introductory engineering design, 2D technical drawings, engineering product definition, mechanics, testing, and rapid prototyping in MET 10200 via an instructor created team-based project.

Current Research Applications:

Types Description

Surveys/Descriptive

  • The impact of project-based learning on ET students design, problem solving, communication, and teamwork skills
  • The current state of ET capstone experiences US post-secondary education
  • The current state of dimensioning and tolerancing pedagogy in US post-secondary education
  • The value and benefits of the SOLIDWORKS certification program for US students and working professionals
  • Polytechnic students’ aspirations, interests, and confidence with ET majors
  • ET students’ intercultural and human-centered design competency impact: Short-term South American study abroad

Case Studies
  • ET students’ demonstration of iterative product design without a design process diagram
  • The transformation of the ET gateway experience

 

Campus/Location Facility Location Faculty Contact
New Albany N1146 Rustin Webster