A shape that looks right on screen can snap the first time it takes weight, so this is where prints start surviving real use.
Your prints look good and fit together, and then one snaps the first time it carries weight, or the outdoor mount goes chalky after a summer. Looking right is not the same as working, and this course is about parts that have a job. You learn to design in context, so a lid and a body stay mated when you change one dimension, and to reach for surface modelling when a shape is organic rather than rectangular. Orientation becomes a design decision instead of a slicer afterthought, because a printed part is far weaker across its layers than along them. You work through support strategy, multi-material and multi-colour printing, and the mechanisms that make prints feel manufactured: living hinges, printed gears, bearings, and compliant springs. The last stretch is finishing and integration. Sanding, filler-primer, painting, and vapour smoothing; heat-set inserts, gaskets, and captive nuts; and generative shapes that cut weight without cutting strength. Materials get chosen on purpose here, with PLA (polylactic acid) for stiffness, PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol) for toughness, and ASA when sunlight is part of the brief.
Built by Lakshya Kumar
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I'm learning advanced 3D printing + CAD: multi-body design, surface modeling (Blender/Plasticity), supports strategy (tree, grid, soluble), multi-material (IDEX/AMS), functional parts (living hinges, gears, compliant mechanisms), strength + anisotropy, post-processing (sanding, painting, vapor smoothing), hardware integration (heat-set inserts, magnets, gaskets), and topology optimization. Help me think about design choices: which feature to use, which material, which orientation, which post-processing approach.
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Handles, creatures, and flowing forms fight parametric tools, so learn when to switch to sculpting and how to come back.
Layer direction decides where a part breaks, so the axis you pick shapes every wall, hole, and overhang you draw after it.
A good support plan saves material and leaves clean surfaces, and better geometry removes the need for supports entirely.
Multi-material printing earns its cost when a soft grip or a dissolvable support does real work, not just when you want stripes.
Printed mechanisms feel like magic and obey ordinary rules, where clearance, orientation, and material do all the work.
A printed part is far weaker between layers than along them, and that one fact should drive infill, walls, and orientation.
An afternoon of finishing separates something that reads as a print from something that reads as a finished product.
Metal threads, sealed seams, and captive nuts turn a plastic shell into an assembly you can open, service, and leave outdoors.
Software will find shapes you would never draw, but it only helps once you can state the loads and constraints honestly.
Complete all modules, then submit the required number of capstone projects. Each must earn a passing rating from an admin reviewer.
Design an articulated print-in-place toy — a dragon, pterodactyl, posable figurine, or articulated mechanism. The toy must print in one piece (no assembly required) and have functional moving joints. Each joint requires proper clearance (0.4mm typical), oriented so it survives printing. Document the joint design choices, the print orientation that makes it work, and at least one iteration cycle if joints don't move on the first attempt.
Design and print a working gearbox with stated reduction ratio (e.g., 1:5 or 1:10). Could be: planetary gear set, worm gearbox, or simple spur gear pair. Demonstrate it driving a real load: rotating a small object, raising a small weight, or similar. Document the gear design (module, teeth count, ratio), print orientation, material choice, and the load test.
Design a chassis that accommodates real off-the-shelf electronics (motors, ESCs, flight controller for drone; or motor + microcontroller for robot). The frame must mount everything properly with heat-set inserts. For drone: aim for 250-class or smaller. For robot: tracked or wheeled is fine. Must survive: 30 minutes of intended use (flight or driving) without structural failure. Document material choice, weight, and operation test.
Design a measurement fixture or assembly jig that holds parts within ±0.1mm tolerance. Could be: a soldering jig that aligns electronic components, a measuring fixture for parts, a router jig for woodworking. Verify the tolerance with measurements. Document calibration, material choice, and how the jig integrates with the workflow it supports.
Design an outdoor mount for electronics (sensor, camera, antenna) that's weatherproof to IPX5 or better. Use ASA or PETG; integrate gaskets; include heat-set inserts for screw-down assembly. Must survive: one full storm cycle (test by exposing outdoors). Document material choice, gasket design, mounting hardware, and the weather test results.
Mesh tools for organic modeling. Used in M2.