The implications of additive manufacturing (AM) span the complete product life-cycle, from concept-stage design to service part fulfillment. Recent advances, including industrially viable high-speed AM processes, improved materials, and optimization software, now enable AM to be considered hand-in-hand with conventional production technologies.
In short, AM is the cornerstone of future digital production infrastructure. Moreover, the unprecedented design flexibility of AM allows us to invent products with new levels of performance, and to envision supply chains that achieve rapid, responsive production with reduced cost and risk.
This course may be taken individually or as part of the Professional Certificate Program in Innovation & Technology or the Professional Certificate Program in Design & Manufacturing. because of the online preperatory component of this course it counts as 5 days towards certificate program completion.
This hands-on, 3.5-day course at MIT provides participants with a comprehensive set of knowledge, practical skills, and hands-on experience to adopt and deploy AM processes to drive real world results.
The course includes:
- >2 hours of technically rich lectures and other multi-modal content that can be accessed at-your-own-pace before the course begins. These lectures cover topics ranging from AM process physics and material properties to cost analysis for common uses of AM in industrial settings.
- An interactive, team-based case study. The bulk of the course is spent on an immersive case study. Participant teams will define an end-use part - which may be a product, a tool, or something else - to be printed. The team will then create initial concept designs, perform economic modeling to create a robust business case, and define a production strategy across processes, materials, and supply-chain considerations. Past projects included entire products, such as a customized sneaker line, to highly-focused applications such as rebar ties or heat exchangers. Projects that resonate with the teams and are close to their personal or professional interests are strongly encouraged.
- Access to leading-edge equipment and software. MIT has a range of high-precision and industrially-relevant AM equipment across most materials including metals, polymers, cement. Advanced metrology tools, including Computed Tomography and 3D light-based scanning are used to characterize and refine prototypes. An exemplary list of machine tools is available on the MIT Center for Advanced Production Technologies website. Computational design software for component design and build simulation software for prototype optimization may also be used if of interest to project teams.
- A multidisciplinary and deeply experienced team of speakers. MIT faculty and staff instructors have over 35 years of AM experience combined, and invited speakers from machine OEMs, major technology users, and other leading academics bring additional insight.
- Access to the most innovative region for AM in the world. The Boston Metropolitan Area is where the term “3d printing” was coined and has a greater per-capita density of AM startups than New York, San Francisco, or London. During the workshop, we visit area innovators and technology users on factory tours, and further provide structured networking opportunities to engage the Boston-area ecosystem.
- The flexible, workshop-style format is suitable for participants with any level of AM expertise. Participants new to AM will establish baseline knowledge quickly through introductory lecture content, whereas experienced AM practitioners will benefit from the opportunity to work intensively alongside MIT experts. If you have questions, or would like to understand how this course might suit your interests, please contact Prof. John Hart (ajhart@mit.edu) or Haden Quinlan (hquinlan@mit.edu).
Certificate of Completion from MIT Professional Education
The type of content you will learn in this course, whether it's a foundational understanding of the subject, the hottest trends and developments in the field, or suggested practical applications for industry.
How the course is taught, from traditional classroom lectures and riveting discussions to group projects to engaging and interactive simulations and exercises with your peers.
What level of expertise and familiarity the material in this course assumes you have. The greater the amount of introductory material taught in the course, the less you will need to be familiar with when you attend.