How I’m Pursuing a Master’s in 3D Printing
*The article and images are original from the author and not by Curiosity3D
Hi, I’m Rithik and I graduated as a Mechanical and Automotive Engineer in 2019 from Delhi Technological University and I am currently pursuing a Masters in Advanced Manufacturing Engineering from Loughborough University, UK.
During my undergraduate degree, there were several opportunities where I was exposed to the massive world of manufacturing and the idea of bringing ideas to life by employing various tools and technologies efficiently was really fascinating to me. And I was always attracted to projects or internships which provided me the opportunity to learn more about the same.
During my internship at Honda’s car manufacturing plant, I was highly fascinated by the numerous tools and machines being deployed in the successful development of a car. The technology being adapted in order to create their cars ranged from automated robots that were more than 10 feet tall to power tools operating on hydraulics to aid the workers.
I was completely blown away by the scale of the operation and was even more impressed with how everything operated in sync every day to keep their customers satisfied. I was also involved with the Human Powered Vehicle team of my University where I was the Head of Manufacturing and that gave me the opportunity to delve deeper into the use of some advanced manufacturing technologies in our teams’ attempt to successfully fabricate a lightweight yet sturdy vehicle capable of reaching speeds above 60 kmph by sheer human pedal power.
During my time there, I had my first exposure to the world of 3D printing where I saw the unmatched capability of FDM (fused deposition modeling) printing in enabling rapid prototyping of various vehicle components at a low cost in a short time compared to other techniques in the market.
After I graduated from DTU, I knew that I wanted to further explore the vast domain of advanced manufacturing technologies and applied for a Masters's degree at various universities abroad.
During this period, I connected with Curiosity 3D and found their program to be a perfect fit for me to dabble in the world of 3D printing before I actually got the opportunity to pursue a Masters in the subject.
I was simply blown away by the fact that the course offered me the opportunity to learn 3D printing by having a 3D printer at my home especially during the peak COVID period. The course offered me a brilliant opportunity to keep expanding my learning during that tough period and I instantly signed up for the course.
Since I had been in touch with Raunaq, I had high expectations from the course since I was well aware of his credentials. And during the course, I was highly impressed with the way the course had been structured and taught.
I still remember being amazed when I learned about the endless possibilities of Additive Manufacturing in the form of Hybrid Manufacturing as well as the advancements by some organizations in bridging the gap between additive manufacturing and mass production. Having a 3D printer at my disposal was a thrilling experience where I could be designing a certain tool or a component and within a few hours have a physical model of the same in my hands.
Being an engineer, it was an enriching experience to actually get to learn about a machine (3D printer) by having it at my home and being able to observe the various mechanisms involved in the creation of successful prints.
It gave me the opportunity to learn what worked and what didn’t work, through trial-and-error and having the constant support of the Curiosity 3D team was also quite helpful in being able to understand what could have been the reason for not getting the results that I wanted.
Overall, the course was an eye-opening experience for me, and post-completion I was fully convinced about my decision to pursue a Masters in the fascinating world of Additive Manufacturing.
I am currently working on my Masters’ thesis which heavily involves the use of 3D printing and I can surely say that my confidence and approach towards the project was highly influenced by my 2-week at-home learning program with Curiosity 3D!
