2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

While additive manufacturing such as polymer 3D printing has seen a recent surge in popularity in industrial robotics, there is a considerable gap in the literature for practitioners who wish to implement these technologies in their teaching and learning. Furthermore, the extant literature often fails to convey the plans and details necessary to replicate or expand upon studies in this line of research, as detailed descriptions of the FDM tooling solutions that have been used in various experiments are not often clearly described in a way that is easily reproducible. This paper (poster) presents the results of an engineering technology student capstone project that sought to develop a low-cost, flexible, and modular end-of-arm 3D printing tool that can ultimately be used to demonstrate fused deposition modeling (FDM) concepts using an industrial robot. To achieve this goal, students considered which, if any, widely available desktop FDM components could be adapted to solve the problem. After meeting with stakeholders, students followed a constraint-based, research-oriented approach to the design and development of a prototype product with the overarching goal of enhancing future learning opportunities at Illinois State University. This paper (poster) presents the organization of the course, and the goals and outcomes of the project as they relate to the course and program objectives. The paper also provides a detailed overview of the first-phase prototypes designed by undergraduate students in an engineering technology (ET) capstone course. Opportunities for future development and next steps are also discussed.