2025 AIChE Annual Meeting

Using Additive Manufacturing to Fabricate Science Education Tools

As three-dimensional (3D) printing becomes increasingly popular and accessible, it offers a versatile platform for producing low-cost, reproducible, and customizable demonstrations for science communication and chemical engineering education. In this project, open source 3D printed models were designed and prototyped to visualize and teach the properties and motion of transverse waves. Traditional classroom demonstrations of wave motion are often constrained by cost, accessibility, and the lack of flexibility in design, with professionally designed wave demonstrations typically ranging from $25 to as much as $200. By leveraging parametric design and additive manufacturing, files were developed that can be freely shared, modified, and printed locally for educational use. The demonstrations consist of a central axis and spokes that oscillate to represent the perpendicular displacement characteristic of transverse waves. Key design parameters were systematically varied, including overall size, spoke geometry, axis geometry, and support structure. Through iterative prototyping, the printability, mechanical stability, and visual clarity of motion of the designs were evaluated. Variations in spoke and axis design were analyzed for effectiveness in representing physical concepts like wavelength, amplitude, and wave propagation direction, while modifications to the base structure were tested for durability and cost-effectiveness. By making these files open source, this project lowers barriers for educators to implement engaging, hands-on demonstrations in classrooms, laboratories, and outreach events, providing an accessible platform to enhance student comprehension of abstract physical concepts. This work highlights the potential of 3D printing to support science communication by enabling low-cost, scalable, and customizable physical models.