ADDITIVE – ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
Requirements
- Complete the training for the AM Lab (Additive – Basic II)
- Complete the part challenge below
In order to attend the Advanced Additive Training, students must provide evidence that they understand the knowledge taught in Basic Additive II Training regarding design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) and can work a more difficult example in their own time. The CAD part file is located to the right, as well as instructions for the redesign below, including restrictions, guidelines, and goals. In order to attend the training, students must bring both the redesigned printed part and a picture of their sliced part from PrusaSlicer, so we can verify that they meet the specific metrics.
The challenge:
The fixture, seen on the right, was designed to be machined in a metal shop, however the design company realized that it was vastly overweight and had a lot of unnecessary strength and stiffness.
They determined that the only regions that serve any purpose are those highlighted in red in the second photo. Each hole needs to retain its original diameter and have a wall thickness of at least 1/32”. The design must allow for the two colinear holes to house a rod of the same diameter and allow rotation (that means a redesigned diamond hole won’t work). The design company determined that the material of the part can be PLA, PETG, or ABS.
Download the SolidWorks Part
Change the Design to This

Step 1: Understand the Requirements to Pass!
In order to pass, the student must present the following:
1. The physical part printed successfully
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- The part will be slid onto the vertical rod in the picture provided and allow for rotation (That means no diamond shaped holes!)
- The 0.5” deep hole will have a rod inserted into it (leave the dimension alone or the rod could fall out or not fit at all!)
- A weight will be placed on the rod about 10” away from the part (~2.5 lbs.) and your part cannot crack/break/shatter. Deformation is okay as long as the rod stays in the part.
2. The Prusa Slicer picture when sliced for the Original Prusa MK4 Input Shaper 0.4 nozzle profile
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- Print settings must be for 0.20mm Speed
- Material can be PLA, ABS, or PETG
- Part is one-single piece
- Supports can be used
- Print time must be below but NOT equal to:
- 30 minutes for PLA
- 1 hour minutes for ABS
- 45 min for PETG
- Material usage (support & part) must be below 17g and the part alone must be less than 12g
Step 2: Download and Edit File
Step 3: Additional Requirements
- Your redesigned part should still have the largest dimensions overall as 2.5 inches in both the length and width. Obviously, you may remove material but if we were to measure the “bounding box” around your part, it should fit snug within a 2.5” square hole.