SUMMARY

The main goal of this thesis is to study the way student designers use design for additive manufacturing (DfAM) rules, or heuristics. It can be challenging for novice designers to succeed at creating successful designs for additive manufacturing (AM), given its differences from traditional manufacturing methods. A study was carried out to investigate the way novices apply DfAM heuristics when they receive them at different points in the design process. A design problem was presented to students, and three different groups of student participants were given a lecture on DfAM heuristics at three different points throughout the design process. The novelty and quality of each of the resulting designs was evaluated.

Results indicate that although the DfAM heuristics lecture had no impact on the overall quality of the designs generated, participants who were given the heuristics lecture after the initial design session produced designs that were better-suited for 3D printing in the second phase of the design activity. However, receiving this additional information appears to prevent students from creatively iterating upon their initial designs, as participants in this group did not experience an increase in novelty between the two sessions. Additionally, receiving the heuristics lecture increased all students’ perceptions of their ability to perform DfAM-related tasks. These results validate the practicality of design heuristics as AM training tools while also emphasizing the importance of iteration in the design process.