Fadda, D., & Park, W., & Thamban, P., & Rios, O. (2025, March), Laser Cutters versus 3D Printers for  Mechanical Engineering Projects  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--55065

\bibitem{asee_peer_55065}
  Fadda, D., \& Park, W., \& Thamban, P., \& Rios, O. (2025, March), \emph{Laser Cutters versus 3D Printers for  Mechanical Engineering Projects}
  Paper presented at 2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas.
  10.18260/1-2--55065

Dani Fadda, Wooram Park, P.l.stephan Thamban, and Oziel Rios.  "Laser Cutters versus 3D Printers for  Mechanical Engineering Projects".  2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas, 2025, March.  ASEE Conferences, 2025.  https://peer.asee.org/55065 Internet.  16 May, 2025

\bibitem{asee_peer_55065}
  Dani Fadda, Wooram Park, P.l.stephan Thamban, and Oziel Rios.
  "Laser Cutters versus 3D Printers for  Mechanical Engineering Projects".
  \emph{2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference, Arlington, TX, Texas, 2025, March}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2025.
  https://peer.asee.org/55065 Internet.  16 May, 2025

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_55065
author = "Dani Fadda, Wooram Park, P.l.stephan Thamban, and Oziel Rios"
title = "Laser Cutters versus 3D Printers for  Mechanical Engineering Projects"
booktitle = "2025 ASEE -GSW Annual Conference"
year = "2025"
month = "March"
address = "Arlington, TX, Texas"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/55065}
number = {10.18260/1-2--55065}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Projects are given within mechanical engineering courses to enhance the learning experience and help the students work together to attain an understanding of difficult concepts. These projects can include physical prototypes in addition to simulations and virtual prototypes. When physical prototypes are needed, the affordability of 3D printers makes rapid prototyping an attractive option and students can use 3D printers in their rooms or at the school. However, students can get too comfortable with 3D printing and often over-rely on the available printers to the point of misusing them to print a pipe or a flat plate. Purchasing raw materials seem to be obsolete in the student’s mind because using traditional manufacturing devices, such as saws, drills, mills, and lathes, which are typically available at a workshop or machine shop, can be messy. The manufactured parts may not work correctly when the students use complex shapes. 

In our engineering program, we have introduced laser cutters and found them effective in bridging a gap between additive and traditional manufacturing. The laser cutters offer the students a way to cut wood or acrylic flat sheets quickly and accurately. The laser cutters are used in the first-year program to fabricate windmill blades and trusses. Since parts can be cut quickly with the laser cutters, the first-year students are allowed to cut their parts and create their assemblies during the lab time. This would not be possible of 3D printers are used due to the time constraints. 3D printers, laser cutters, and traditional manufacturing devices are used together in a statics class project, where the students use traditional manufacturing to create their frame (stand). They can use any manufacturing technique to complete their project. The 3D printers are used in the kinematics and dynamics class project, where students fabricate complex assemblies using complex parts. In this paper we present the advantages and disadvantages of implementing laser cutters and 3D printers in different classes. Examples of the work by the students are presented.

AU  - Dani Fadda
AU  - Wooram Park
AU  - P.l.stephan Thamban
AU  - Oziel Rios
CY  - Arlington, TX, Texas
DA  - 2025/03/09
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Laser Cutters versus 3D Printers for  Mechanical Engineering Projects
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/55065
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--55065
ER  -