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Coventry University
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 This system
has significantly reduced the time needed
to produce the students’ parts and the
parts are of higher quality
Peter Phillips,
Design Technician Coventry University
Coventry University Uses Objet 3-D Printing System in Queen’s Award-Winning Industrial Design Education Program
Coventry University’s Department of Industrial Design has gained worldwide recognition for its educational leadership, thanks to its use of Objet Geometries’ 3-D printing technology and its other educational innovations.
The Department recently won a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education – an honour that recognizes the university’s outstanding achievements, including its work
with the Eden250™ 3-D printing system.
For over 30 years, Coventry University’s Department of Industrial Design has been pioneering new developments, and many graduates have gone on to hold key positions in the world’s
foremost automotive companies and have created numerous ground-breaking design concepts. The undergraduate program combines industrial and commercial experience with new models and techniques for computer aided design, including using the most advanced 3-D printing techniques from Objet Geometries. One of the Department’s specialties is automotive design, making it a major contributor to the UK’s auto industry innovation leadership.
In 2004, the Department became the only “Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning in Product and Automotive Design” in the UK. As such, it was charged with developing a range of innovative teaching techniques for the wider benefit of the higher education sector.
More recently, in February 2008, the Industrial Design Department was honoured with theprestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its work in automotive design.
One consequence of the “Centre for Excellence” status, and also
a major contributing factor in the University being awarded the
Queen’s Anniversary Prize, was the Department’s decision in
2006 to enhance its rapid prototyping capabilities by purchasing
the Eden250 3-Dimensional Printing System. The Industrial
Design Department had been seeking a rapid prototyping system that could produce high quality parts with fine details. But, until senior faculty saw the Objet system in action, they had not seen anything that fit their high standards and exacting needs.
Among their requirements was a system that would encourage
students to think creatively about new ways to design and
produce parts, and that could be used for the widest range
of students from other departments aside from the Industrial
Design Department.
Objet 3-D Printer Fits the Bill for Design Education
“After seeing a demonstration at an industrial site, I knew the
Objet system was the one to have,” recalled John Owen, Head of
Industrial Design at Coventry University. “It does everything we
want it to do.”
The Eden250 3-D Printing System was installed in December 2006.
With more than 500 students in the department, just under 10
20 percent of whom are final years students in transport design,
the Objet printer is used for a wide range of industrial design
applications, including fine arts, jewellery design, product design
and transport and automation design. Additionally, it is often
used by staff and students from other departments, enabling
them to think about and explore different ways to produce parts.
One of the advantages of the small-footprint, office-friendly and
cost-effective system is that it enables students to create shells
of the different components of their part design and see how they
fit together on screen, eliminating the extra work involved with
tooling.
Saves Time, Broadens Creative Horizons
Peter Phillips, Design Technician sees the benefits the Eden250
printer brings to the learning process – principally saving time and promoting creative thinking. “This system has significantly reduced the time needed to produce the students’ parts and the
parts are of higher quality,” he said. “Using the Objet system allows more detailed designs because the conventional ways of production had limitations and they also were slower.”
Owen added: “You couldn’t make these parts any other way! As
the support material is washed away with water, we can now
design parts with clearances and print them as one part instead
of making many parts and assembling them together. The fine
details make the parts themselves seem more realistic.”
Furthermore, “Products are constantly being designed differently
due to changes in the technology available, and this system
makes you think of other ways to manufacture parts.”
Looking ahead to life after graduation, Phillips noted: “The Objet
system is great for teaching students non-conventional ways of
manufacturing. It is pleasing to know what we are teaching current technologies that the students will be using out in industry.”
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Success Story
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- February 2008, the Industrial Design Department was honored with the prestigious Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education for its work in automotive design.
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