Digital Fabrication focuses on the engineering decisions behind a successful prototype: geometry, tolerances, material choice, print orientation, supports, strength, dimensional accuracy and iteration.
Core workflow
- Define requirements and interfaces.
- Create a parametric or constraint-driven CAD model.
- Check dimensions, clearances and manufacturing constraints.
- Slice and manufacture with appropriate material and settings.
- Inspect and measure the printed part.
- Record deviations and revise the design.
Software examples can change over time; CAD and manufacturing principles are taught independently of a specific application UI.
FermiLabs course review brief
Learning objective:Turn an idea into a documented CAD-to-fabrication prototype.
Content update:Refresh slicer/material guidance and add downloadable CAD briefs and a quality rubric.
Suggested activity:Design, export, fabricate and inspect a small functional part.
Evidence to produce:CAD revision, print settings, inspection notes and iteration decision.
Review status:Draft editorial integration; verify source curriculum ownership before public promotion.
Curriculum
- 9 Sections
- 81 Lessons
- 60 Days
Expand all sectionsCollapse all sections
- 🧵 Intro to 3D Printing and innovative learning environmentsLearning focus: 🟢👉 SKS Online Course guide, tips, and emojis meaning list; 🔝💼👨🎓🧵🎧 3D Printing additive manufacturing and fast Prototyping. Lessons are preserved in source order (12 mapped).12
- 1.1🟢👉 FermiLabs Online Course guide, tips, and emojis meaning list
- 1.2📮 Additive Manufacturing: From CAD Intent to Prototype
- 1.3💼👨🎓🛠️🧵⚡ 📮 Tinkering and the maker movement: Learning is an active process
- 1.4🆕🧵 📮 History of 3D Printing and additive manufacturing
- 1.5🆕🧵🔑 📮 Types of 3D printers and materials
- 1.6🆕🧵 📮 Choosing the Right 3D Printer: Factors to Consider
- 1.7🆕🧵 📮 Resin 3D Printing: How They Work, What They’re Good At, and When to Consider Getting One
- 1.8🆕🧵 📮 3D Printing all steps from the model to the printed object step by step
- 1.9🆕🧵🔑 3D Printing Glossary
- 1.10🆕🧵 📮 How 3D printing is enabling the 4th Industrial Revolution
- 1.11🆕🧵 📮 Trends in 3D printing, new model and future applications
- 1.12👾💡👉 Join our Open Discord Server to share your progress, engage with other and peer review your activities
- 📐3D Modelling – Mockup & Prototyping – 3D Design SoftwareLearning focus: 🛠️🧵📐🥼💡 Making Mockup and do Prototyping with cardboard before even 3D design…; 🟢👷♂️👨🎓🚀🧵📐🅰🎧💡 Prototyping: The First Step of Engineering: Let’s build a model 1/3…. Lessons are preserved in source order (19 mapped).19
- 2.1🛠️🧵📐🥼💡 Making Mockup and do Prototyping with cardboard before even 3D design or 3D Print
- 2.2🟢👷♂️👨🎓🚀🧵📐🅰💡 📮 Prototyping: The First Step of Engineering: Let’s build a model 1/3 scale rocket
- 2.3🟢🆕📐 📮 3D Modelling and Design software and solution for student
- 2.4📐🎲 📮 Introduction to TinkerCAD and how to sign up for Students and 🎓Teachers
- 2.5📐🎲🔑 TinkerCAD Glossary and ⌨ Keyboard Shortcuts
- 2.6🆕📐🎲 📮 TinkerCAD tutorial navigating the interface and movement
- 2.7🆕📐🎲 📮 TinkerCAD Object Shape Manipulation and Scaling tools
- 2.8🆕📐🎲💡 📮 TinkerCAD Tools: Group, Hole, Align, and Flip
- 2.9🆕📐🎲 📮 TinkerCAD Workplane, Ruler, Blocks and Bricks
- 2.10🆕📐🎲💡 📮 TinkerCAD Create a multi-layered and multi-colored column
- 2.11🆕📐🎲 📮 TinkerCAD Circular Patterns to easily create patterns around an axis
- 2.12🆕📐🎲 📮 TinkerCAD import
- 2.13📐🎲 📮 TinkerCAD Community Gallery for 3D Designs, Circuits and Codeblocks
- 2.14📐🎲📱 📮 TinkerCAD iPad app and Augmented Reality 3D
- 2.15🆕📐🎲🔨 📮 3D Modeling in Tinkercad and importing Minecraft using MCEdit
- 2.16🆕📐 📮 Inkscape a free open-source editor for scalable vector graphics (SVG) files
- 2.17🆕📐🟧🧵🚀 📮 Using Fusion360 beginner Tutorial and rocket design activity
- 2.18🆕📐🟧🧵 📮 Creating a 3D Printable Makercoin in Fusion360
- 2.19Preparing CAD Models for Slicing and Manufacture
- 🔪 Slicing Software and 3D Printing your modelLearning focus: 🆕🧵🔪🎧🔑 Slicing software for 3D printing, Key Terms and Essential step to…; 🆕🧵🔪🎧 Download and Setting up CURA for your 3D printer. Lessons are preserved in source order (9 mapped).9
- 3.1🆕🧵🔪🔑 📮 Slicing software for 3D printing, Key Terms and Essential step to 3D Print
- 3.2🆕🧵🔪 📮 Download and Setting up CURA for your 3D printer
- 3.3🆕🧵🔪 📮 CURA step by step Loading, positioning a 3D model, the slicing process and 3D Print
- 3.4🆕🧵🔪💡 📮 The Importance of the Infill Pattern in 3D Printing and crash test
- 3.5🆕🧵 📮 Estimated cost of a 3D print in Cura
- 3.6🆕🧵🔪💡 3D Print Resolution the level of detail and accuracy that can be achieved vs speed
- 3.7🆕🧵🔪 📮 Maximizing 3D Print Speed with slicer Tips and Techniques
- 3.8🆕🧵🔪 📮 Advanced CURA features
- 3.9🆕🧵🔪 📮 CURA 5 New slicing engine, small objects, metal and multi-material printing
- 🧰 3D Printer Setting and essentials | Safety | Care & TroubleshootingLearning focus: 🧵🎧 A standard filament 3D printer and some example; 🧵🎧 3D Printing filament printers Parts Names, Care, and Maintenance. Lessons are preserved in source order (11 mapped).11
- 4.1🧵 📮 A standard filament 3D printer and some example
- 4.2🧵 📮 3D Printing filament printers Parts Names, Care, and Maintenance
- 4.3🧵 📮 Ensuring Safety in 3D Printing: The Importance of Proper Ventilation and Electrical Safety
- 4.4🆕🧵💡 📮 Managing Materials and reduce Waste in 3D Printing: Best Practices and Strategies
- 4.5🆕🧵🔑💡 📮 3D models, online 3D Printable Repository, file type
- 4.6🧵🧰 📮 Unboxing, setup your 3D Printer, alignment and leveling
- 4.7🆕🧵 📮 3D Print Supports structures and correct orientation for quality & optimization
- 4.8🆕🧵 📮 Enhancing Strength 3D Print Orientation and Infill
- 4.9🆕🧵🧰 📮 What Your 3D Printer is Trying to Tell You: The Sounds of Failure and How to Fix Them
- 4.10📮 3D Printing Failure Analysis and Iteration
- 4.11🧵🧰 📮 Strategies for identifying and fixing problems during the 3D printing process
- 🎓 At School: 3D printing in the classroomLearning focus: 🟢🎓👩🔬👷♂️🔬🧵🤖⚡💻📐🎲👽🔨🤯🥽🎧 Digital Repository, Innovative Learning Environments, AR/VR and Metaverse, 3D Printing, Coding,…; 🤝🎧🎓🔬🧵🙌🥼💡 Active Learning TEAL Methodology: Using Technology, Teamwork, and 3D Design. Lessons are preserved in source order (13 mapped).13
- 5.1🟢🎓👩🔬👷♂️🔬🧵🤖⚡💻📐🎲👽🔨🤯🥽 📮 Digital Repository, Innovative Learning Environments, AR/VR and Metaverse, 3D Printing, Coding, AI, Robotics and using Games for STEM Education
- 5.2🤝🎓🔬🧵🙌🥼💡 📮 Active Learning TEAL Methodology: Using Technology, Teamwork, and 3D Design
- 5.3🆕🎓🙌 From Good to Great: Using Retrospective Activities to Improve Team Outcomes
- 5.4👩🔬🎓🔬🧵⚡💡 📮 The maker movement in Education STEM STEAM
- 5.5🎓🔬🧵💡 📮 3D Printing and learning by doing in Education: “Fablab and Creative Ateliers”
- 5.6🎓🔬🧵💡 📮 PBL Project Based Learning and 3D printing
- 5.7📐🎲🧵🎓 📮 How to Use Tinkercad for PBL Project-based Learning
- 5.8🆕🧵🎓 3D Printing into the School Curriculum: Benefits, Examples, and Suggestions
- 5.9🆕🧵🎓 Challenges of implementing 3D printing in the classroom
- 5.10🆕🧵🎓 Effective Assessment Strategies for 3D Printing in Education
- 5.11🆕🧵🎓 Effective Management of a 3D Printing Lab: Tips and Suggestions
- 5.12🆕🧵🎓🥼 Activity: Understanding the difference between subtractive and additive methods
- 5.13🆕🧵🎓 📮 3D Printing for Children at Home and at School
- 👷♀️ 3D Printing in STEM Education and other 🎓School subjectsLearning focus: 🎓🔬🧵 The role of 3D printing in teaching STEM concepts; 🧵🍎🧮🔬🎨 STEM/STEAM Ideas and examples of 3D printing activities for physics, math,…. Lessons are preserved in source order (4 mapped).4
- 6.1🎓🔬🧵 The role of 3D printing in teaching STEM concepts
- 6.2🧵🍎🧮🔬🎨 STEM/STEAM Ideas and examples of 3D printing activities for physics, math, engineering, and technology
- 6.3🛠️🧵🎓💡 Ideas for incorporating 3D printing into various school subjects
- 6.4🍎🌡️🌌 💡🥽 LAB: Greenhouse Effect – Greenhouse Gases Heat Thermodynamics Climate
- 🧩 Problem Solving 🎨 Creativity 📐Design Thinking with 3D PrintingLearning focus: 👨🎓🧩🎨🎧 Problem solving and creative thinking; 🧵🎨🎧 The creative potential of 3D printing. Lessons are preserved in source order (4 mapped).4
- 🏁 Let’s print and conclusionLearning focus: 🆕🧵🚀⚡🎧🥼💡🔗🔑🔬🎨🧰🅰 How to make a Test Stand for Water Rockets; 🆕🧵🚀🎧💡 3D Print a 1/100 model scale of Atlas V Rocket from…. Lessons are preserved in source order (5 mapped).5
- 8.1🆕🧵🚀⚡🥼💡🔗🔑🔬🎨🧰🅰 📮 How to make a Test Stand for Water Rockets
- 8.2🆕🧵🚀💡 📮 3D Print a 1/100 model scale of Atlas V Rocket from Thingiverse
- 8.3🆕 Opportunity to work on a 3D printing project of your choice
- 8.4🆕 Apply the concepts and skills learned in the course
- 8.5🆕 Post-printing techniques for refining and finishing 3D printed objects
- FermiLabs Common Core — Evidence, Safety & Engineering Method
Curated FermiLabs evidence, safety and engineering-method lessons. Existing course curriculum is preserved; this section is additive and independently owned.
FermiLabs connections:RoboCup engineering activity
4
Instructor
Free
