Seeing means understanding

The rapid prototyping or 3-D lithography process being used by the students is based on a research project headed by Nicholas Fang, an assistant professor of mechanical science and engineering, and developed at the Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (NanoCEMMS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The process uses UV sensitive monomer to do a form of three-dimensional printing called microstereo lithography. Using a video projector with a UV output, they are able to create incredibly thin polymer layers (on the order of 400 nm) and build objects layer by layer.

“This activity demonstrates the basic challenges of nanoscale engineering and manufacturing,” explained NanoCEMMS Education Coordinator Joe Muskin. The procedure, “Three-dimensional Printing Using a Photoinitiated Polymer,” was the cover article in the May, 2010 issue (Vol. 87, No. 5) of the Journal of Chemical Education.

“This article has generated several inquires from Universities as far as Canada and Pakistan,” Muskin added.

In Illinois, several hundred students have used the 3-D printing process to turn mathematical models into objects that they can touch and feel. At the University High School in Urbana, Illinois, Calculus students manufactured objects from mathematically defined equations entered into a Mathematica workbook jointly developed by Nano-CEMMS and Wolfram Research, headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. Calculus 1 students produced solids of revolution, and students in Calculus 3 manufactured shapes described by more general inequalities. Geometry students applied the same processes to model solid geometry equations.

This spring, Jon Scott, a science teacher from Normal (Ill.) Community High School, added a seven-day nanotechnology unit to the physics course, culminating in the 3-D printing project. 

“Every year I try to find something to engage AP physics students,” Scott explained. “After they have taken their advanced placement tests and have been accepted to a college, it is difficult to keep them from ‘checking out’ of their final few weeks of studies. This was a great way to keep their interest and create a memorable experience.”

Scott was introduced to the 3-D printing process at the NanoCEMMS Annual Summer Institute in 2009. The annual institute brings together teams of math, science, and career and technical education teachers for two weeks of instruction—hands-on, cross-disciplinary classroom activities designed to teach students the principles of nanotechnology and to highlight many of the careers associated with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Scott Gerard, a science teacher at Heritage High School in rural Broadlands, Illinois, was also looking for a way to inspire upperclassmen. Last year, four of his students, now seniors, earned national honors in the Real World Design Challenge. Gerard’s challenge: “How do I keep them interested and engaged this year?” Gerard had also learned about the rapid prototyping or 3-D lithography process during the Summer Institute, and with Muskin’s help, the senior students learned the process so well that they could teach it to the freshmen and sophomores at Heritage.

A Next Generation Middle School student is creating a 3D object with a classroom 3D printer based on research conducted at Illinois.

“I could see how much more engaged the seniors were in learning the process as they also developed ideas about how they would teach the other students,” Gerard remarked.

Younger students have also benefitted from being able to “see” their designs become fully formed objects.

“I teach part-time at Next Generation (an early education program), and we did it with my classes,” Muskin said. “I can spend more time on it so I've had them design objects that we use as demonstrations. A LEGO® block works well and we did a model of the Taj Mahal.

“Earlier this spring, we went to the St. Louis Science Center for ‘Nano-Days.’ There, we had about 800 kids printing. They printed four LEGO® blocks at a time, so that four kids could help with the printing and each take home an object they made.”

Nano-CEMMS is a partnership of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Stanford University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technological State University, University of California-Irvine, University of Notre Dame, and Northwestern University. Each partner offers unique facilities, eminent scholars and financial resources to support the Center’s research. One of the Center’s core missions is to develop a diverse U.S. workforce of educators, scientists, engineers, and practitioners to advance nanomanufacturing technology in the U.S. and beyond.

Nano-CEMMS provides a wide range of human resource development activities targeted toward increasing both the diversity of students involved with the Center and educational opportunities at the K-12 and undergraduate levels, as well as providing graduate students with teaching experience in an emerging field. In addition, both undergraduate and graduate students have opportunities to participate in the Center’s work through research assistantships and independent study projects.
__________________

For more information about the Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems (NanoCEMMS), its research and educational programs, visit: http://www.nano-cemms.illinois.edu.

Contact: Joe Muskin, education coordinator, Center for Nanoscale Chemical-Electrical-Mechanical Manufacturing Systems, 217/265-6481.

Writer: Rick Kubetz,, Engineering Communications Office, 217/244-7716.

Photos: Joe Muskin.