“Our motto with 3D printing is: If you can think it, we can design it and we can print it.”Jerry Grech / machine shop coordinator, York University, Toronto, Canada

The white 3D printed stabilizer on this poster board stand is an example of functional parts created by York University students.

CASE STUDYCreating Potential
3 D P R I N T I N G H E L P S S T U D E N T S C R E AT E T H E M I S S I N G P I E C E

For Jerry Grech, it’s all about helping students find the missing piece. Grech, who got his start in auto and space engineering,has been the machine shop coordinator for the past four years in the Faculty of Science at York University, Canada’s thirdlargest university. Now, Grech says, 3D printing is paving the way into the future for students. The university uses four uPrint®
3D Printers — three of which are in the School of Engineering.

THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY ™

Budget-Conscious Prototyping
Quality and cost are two reasons professors and students are relying more heavilyon 3D printing, according to Grech. Because he handles all purchasing for themachine shop, he’s able to quickly tell if a project would be cheaper and easier
to do with a 3D printer. Although 3D printing is still new to York University, many
professors are starting to realize the potential and cost benefit. If the job can bedone with a 3D printer, Grech steers professors and students in that direction,
which, according to Grech, is 30 to 50% less expensive than CNC prototyping.
With the newly implemented GrabCAD Print™ software, his cost estimations havebecome highly accurate. Using GrabCAD Print, he can see exactly how muchmaterial each job is going to need. This makes it easier than ever to accurately
predict costs and stay within each project’s budget.

This blue 3D printed tray was custom-created toaccommodate the size and shape of these surgical tools.

Though they ultimately may need to build their designs out of materials other thanplastic, allowing students and staff to digitally design their projects using GrabCAD
Print saves money in the long run. “We use a lot of expensive materials,” Grechsays. “Before we invest all this money into machine time and expensive materials,
we can actually see a functioning prototype.”

Customization Is Key
But cost isn’t the only reason Grech steers professors toward the 3D printer.
Medical professors at York University have already taken advantage of this bydesigning custom surgical trays to hold their tools. Instead of purchasing trays
from a supply store, they’re able to design them for the tools they need, rather
than the ones manufacturers think they’ll want.

Jerry Grech of York University with one of their Stratasys
uPrint 3D printers.

Of course, there are advantages in 3D printing for students as well as professors.
Giving students the opportunity to 3D print their designs and create working
prototypes has opened up limitless doors, according to Grech. Many students
that come into the lab have at least some design background and creating CAD
models allows them to build more complex prototypes than they otherwise wouldhave. Internally complex pieces used to be too difficult for many students tocreate. With 3D printing, however, these limitations are gone.

Skills for the Future
According to Grech, having the printer in the lab has inspired a new way of
approaching projects for students. Previously, students kept designs as simple
as possible to keep manufacturing efforts within their skill set. Said Grech, “Theywere limiting themselves. But now, with 3D printing, they can make whatever theywant. With 3D printing, however, there are no holds barred. Whatever they canthink, they can come down here and create.”
Students with the ability to create a prototype will be more competitive in thejob market, according to Grech. Over the past twenty years, he’s seen how fast
technology has shifted from manual machining into rapid prototyping and 3D
printing. “Pretty much every part of the industry is prototyping now before they goahead to manufacturing,” he says. “It’s limitless in its potential for its users. I was
actually hesitant at first, too, but the quality has gotten so much better I find. I’ve
been very excited with this machine and the outcome of the product.”

THE 3D PRINTING SOLUTIONS COMPANY ™

Most of what Grech assists students with are one-off, highly specific pieces that fit
into a bigger puzzle. The rewarding moment when Grech sees the finished working
design or prototype could be months after he assists students. But that moment,
he says, is what the university is all about—finding the right pieces to help makestudents’ ideas into reality.

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