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Procedia Manufacturing 32 (2019) 356–359
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The
The 12th
12th International
International Conference
Conference Interdisciplinarity
Interdisciplinarity in
in Engineering
Engineering

Pedagogical
Pedagogical Methods
Methods for
for Teaching
Teaching the
the Use
Use of
of Prototyping
Prototyping by
by 3D
3D Printers
Printers
Manufacturing Engineering
a, Society International
a Conference 2017,
a MESIC 2017, 28-30
a June
Adrian Suciu a, *, Andra Buruianăa, Angela Repanovicia, Diana Cotorosa,
Adrian Suciu *, Andra Buruiană , Angela Repanovici
2017, Vigo
0F

(Pontevedra), Spain , Diana Cotoros ,

b
Santiago
Santiago Fernandiz
Fernandiz Bou
0F

Boub
Costing models Transilvania
for capacity a
optimization
University of Brasov,
a in Brasov,
29 Eroilor Av., 500036, Industry
Romania 4.0: Trade-off
Transilvania University of Brasov, 29 Eroilor Av., 500036, Brasov, Romania
b
Universitat Politècnica de València, 03801-Alcoy, Alicante, Spain
between used capacity and operational efficiency
b
Universitat Politècnica de València, 03801-Alcoy, Alicante, Spain

Abstract A. Santanaa, P. Afonsoa,*, A. Zaninb, R. Wernkeb

Abstract
a
University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
The paper presents the concept, design and manufacturing of an educational tool using 3D printing. This method provides
The paper presents the concept, design and b
manufacturing
Unochapecó, of anChapecó,
89809-000 educational tool using 3D printing. This method provides
SC, Brazil
valuable aid in offering the pupils and students a tactile and practical experience in their study, especially if they are visually
valuable aid in offering the pupils and students a tactile and practical experience in their study, especially if they are visually
impaired. The educational tool in the study represents the map of the counties in Romania with their names in Braille alphabet
impaired. The educational tool in the study represents the map of the counties in Romania with their names in Braille alphabet
and is an example of the manner 3D printing can be used to enhance the study possibilities of pupils and students with different
and is an example of the manner 3D printing can be used to enhance the study possibilities of pupils and students with different
disabilities.
Abstract
disabilities.
©
© 2018The
Under TheAuthors.
2019 the conceptPublished
Authors. by
byElsevier
of "Industry
Published 4.0",Ltd.
Elsevier production processes will be pushed to be increasingly interconnected,
Ltd.
© 2018The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This is an open
information access
based onarticle
a realunder
time the CC BY-NC-ND
basis and, licensemuch
necessarily, (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
more efficient. In this context, capacity optimization
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the 12th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering.
goes beyond
Selection the traditional
and peer-review aim
under of capacityofmaximization,
responsibility contributing
the 12th International also for
Conference organization’sinprofitability
Interdisciplinarity Engineering. and value.
Indeed, lean management and continuous improvement
Keywords:pedagogical methods; 3D printing; visual impaired.
approaches suggest capacity optimization instead of
maximization. Themethods;
Keywords:pedagogical study of 3Dcapacity optimization
printing; visual impaired. and costing models is an important research topic that deserves
contributions from both the practical and theoretical perspectives. This paper presents and discusses a mathematical
model for capacity management based on different costing models (ABC and TDABC). A generic model has been
1. Introduction
1. Introduction
developed and it was used to analyze idle capacity and to design strategies towards the maximization of organization’s
value. The trade-off
3D printing capacity
technology maximization
provides a positivevs operational
approach inefficiency
educationisby highlighted and it and
offering pupils is shown thatacapacity
students suitable
3D printing
optimization technology
might hide providesinefficiency.
operational a positive approach in education by offering pupils and students a suitable
manner to improve and enhance their concepts and skills in science, technology, engineering, computer science, arts,
manner
© 2017 Theto improve
Authors. and enhance
Published their concepts
by Elsevier B.V. etc. and skills in science, technology, engineering, computer science, arts,
mathematics, chemistry, biology, geography [1]
mathematics,
Peer-review chemistry,
under biology,
responsibility geography etc. [1] of the Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference
3D printers and prototype of the scientific
design engage committee
students in the creation and design process, improving at the same time
3D printers and prototype design engage students in the creation and design process, improving at the same time
2017.
their capacity of using creative solutions in solving problems. This process offers pupils and students a tactile and
their capacity of using creative solutions in solving problems. This process offers pupils and students a tactile and
practical Cost
experience of theTDABC;
basic concepts presented Idle
during the lectures. [2] They will be considerably more involved
practical experience
Keywords: of the basic concepts
Models; ABC; presented during
Capacity Management; the lectures.
Capacity; [2]
Operational They will be considerably more involved
Efficiency

1. Introduction
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +4-0749-017-324
* The
Corresponding
cost author.
of idle Tel.: +4-0749-017-324
capacity is a fundamental information for companies and their management of extreme importance
E-mail address: suciu.robert.adrian@gmail.com
E-mail address: suciu.robert.adrian@gmail.com
in modern production systems. In general, it is defined as unused capacity or production potential and can be measured
in several 2018The
2351-9789© ways: tons of production,
Authors. available
Published by Elsevier Ltd. hours of manufacturing, etc. The management of the idle capacity
2351-9789© 2018The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
This is an Afonso.
* Paulo open access
Tel.:article under
+351 253 510the761;
CC BY-NC-ND
+351 253license(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
This is an open access article under the CC fax:
BY-NC-ND 604 741
license(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Selection
E-mail and peer-review
address: under responsibility of the 12th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering.
psafonso@dps.uminho.pt
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the 12th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering.

2351-9789 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Peer-review
2351-9789 © under
2019responsibility
The Authors. of the scientificbycommittee
Published Elsevier of the Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference 2017.
Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Selection and peer-review under responsibility of the 12th International Conference Interdisciplinarity in Engineering.
10.1016/j.promfg.2019.02.225
 Adrian Suciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 32 (2019) 356–359 357
2 Adrian Suciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000

by being allowed to turn their ideas into reality. Thus, there will be the possibility of physically examining their
projects and assess the strong and the weak points of the project.
By means of 3D printing technology, students are learning to communicate more effectively using a combination
between traditional tools of writing and printing and media means (websites, images, videos, CAD software, etc.)
The dedicated literature provides several examples of studies concerning the use of 3D design and printing in
order to manufacture real aids for education, especially for visual impaired students to help them in almost all fields
of expertise, one of the most impressive being presented in [3]. Pupils created a water molecule for chemistry study
or various 3D shapes for geometry, etc. in a school in Greece with the purpose of helping persons suffering from low
vision or blindness to attend classes.
Also, by using 3D printing together with CT scans of human and animal bones, new sets of bones were created to
help the study of anatomy in class. [4]
Generally, visually impaired persons need more than the others a lot of tactile material such as models, maps,
labels written in Braille which are often manually manufactured and are time and resources consuming and of course
expensive because sometimes it is necessary to create them individually and personalized. [5]

2. Materials and methods

3D printing consists of various processes whose outcome is that a material is combined and solidified by help of
a computer, in order to create a three dimensional solid object of any shape using an additive procedure. This
process is characterized by the fact that for the purpose of creating a certain shape, it will add material in successive
layers, following some patterns and obtain the desired project. Certain important steps have to be taken in order to
print an accurate model.
Firstly, a 3D model is designed using a CAD software and then the final form is converted in a STL file, which
„divides” the model in a logical series of triangles thus facilitating the „slicing” algorithm, so that subsequently the
model is transformed in thin transversal layers allowing 3D printing. [6]
Then the file is sent to the 3D printer, which processes the required information during the model 3D printing.
The final stage is the physical manufacturing of the model based upon the technology, materials and parameters that
were previously determined.
The educational tool presented in the paper is the map of Romania, divided by counties, their names
abbreviations being written in Braille alphabet. It is manufactured using a non-toxic biodegradable plastic material
PLA (polylactic acid), whose properties are a good elasticity but it breaks easily. The yellow color of the filament
was randomly chosen but it proves to be easily identifiable for low vision persons. The use of Braille alphabet was
done in accordance with National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped standards. [7]
The final form of the prototype designed in SolidWorks is shown in fig.1. During the CAD design the prototype
dimensions suffered some changes, especially in height. Unlike the prototype, the model will be filled with the
abbreviated names of the counties in Braille alphabet. For the model design, Adobe Illustrator and Autodesk fusion
were the used software. The chosen image was vectorized and then extruded using Adobe Illustrator and the result is
shown in fig.2.

Fig.1. SolidWorks prototype Fig.2 Extruded sketch in Adobe Illustrator

358 Adrian Suciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 32 (2019) 356–359
Adrian Suciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing00 (2018) 000–000 3

An svg. file containing the abbreviated names of the counties was inserted in Adobe Fusion and the new form is
shown in fig.3. Then the file was converted in a stl. file and prepared for 3D printing, the result is shown in fig.4.
The more this step results in a simple and "clean" format, the less errors may occur in the stl file. and further, in the
final 3D print model.

Fig.3. File with abbreviated names in Braille Fig.4. Final stl. file

3. Results and Discussions

First the prototype was printed in order to analyze and inspect the possible errors and correct them before
manufacturing the model. The final form of the prototype is presented in Fig. 5. The obtained prototype was
analyzed and evaluated and certain errors were noticed, like the south-eastern boundary of the country did not have
the height and thickness which were established by the SolidWorks sketch, also some color defects were spotted and
some inaccuracies in respecting the counties boundaries. These errors are the result of poor vectorization of the
initial image in SolidWorks, which was manually created but also of converting the sketch into an stl. file.
3D printing of the model was done using the same 3D printer as for the prototype, same technology and material.
But due to the fact that the sketch, image vectorization, 3D model and converting in stl. file was done by help of
Adobe Illustrator and Autodesk Fusion, within the final model no more surface, colour, accuracy errors occur.
(fig.6)

Fig.5. Final form of the prototype Fig.6 Final form of the model

The final model also includes the abbreviated names of the counties written in Braille alphabet.
This educational tool can be made in several copies and distributed within the schools attended by children with
visual impairments. By getting a feedback from the users, changes can be made regarding the size of the map, of the
Braille characters, texture, roughness, material, etc. The methodology can be extended of course for the maps of
other countries or of the entire world according to requirements.

4. Conclusions

The method of creating an object by 3D printing is a great opportunity for visual impaired pupils and students
because it brings objects, phenomena and virtual concepts into their hands providing the possibility of using another
sense, the tactile one to analyze them.
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4 Adrian Suciu et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2018) 000–000

The reasons for which a 3D printer is useful and necessary in a lecture room or in a laboratory are some of
following: selection of a nontoxic, biodegradable material for the models, manufacturing the object in the desired
shape and texture and the short time of manufacturing.
Education plays a key role in building creative minds, in developing senses, curiosity by stimulating experiences.
Currently the educational system in the entire world follows the approach DIY (Do It Yourself), allowing the
students (even if they have certain impairments) to explore and develop their innovative skills by creating and
working based upon their own imagination, being encouraged by modern technologies.
Basically, 3D printing at a larger scale may be used to create for educators, teachers, pupils an students a
favourable environment for applying more effective ways of teaching, learning and understanding of various
concepts expressed by help of 3D models.

Acknowledgements

Experimental results presented in this paper were possible due to support offered by 3D Brasov.

References

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