Rapid prototyping tools

Abstract

This paper is the description of the method and result of the master project of Petter Ildgruben at the Department of Engineering Design and Materials (IPM) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in the spring of 2016. The goal of this master s thesis has been to explore the barriers that novel users face in makerspaces, specifically when interacting with the 3D printer, the laser cutter and the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) mill and how to overcome them. The first chapter presents the background for the thesis. Some of the literature and earlier experiments related to this topic is explored and some lacking knowledge is identified which forms the groundwork for the thesis. Chapter two presents the methods of research employed to explore these barriers, which consists of experiencing the barriers myself, interviewing other novel users and observing users interacting with the machines. The results give grounds for a new method of teaching users how to use makerspaces, what is new about this method is the focus on barriers and making the novel user aware of the ones that he overcomes to build confidence. A tool to ease the decision of what machine to use is also proposed, this tool utilizes the TRIZ principles to help machine selection based on product characteristics. This tool is meant as a template for further development in each makerspace considering what machines are available.

Key Words: Prototyping, Makerspace, 3D-printer, laser cutter, mill, early-stage prototyping, novel users, action research, teaching in makerspaces