Technician Education in Rapid Prototyping and Virtual Manufacturing Technologies

This project is developing rapid prototyping and time-compression techniques in a 'design for manufacturing' program for technicians. Tasks include developing and expanding nine course modules, offering workshops for faculty, providing technical and research experiences for students, and developing laboratory and computer-aided design tools. A unique feature of this project is its application to the entertainment industry, with additional applications in the biomedical/biotechnology fields. A strong information technology component includes the sharing of design code and files over the internet between the laboratories at the three institutions. The project is serving community college, university, and high school vocational technical students.