The National Center for Rapid Prototyping and Additive Manufacturing Technologies (RAPIDTech) is a nationwide consortium of community colleges, universities, and industry. The lead community college has the unusual distinction of leading the rapid prototyping industry and keeping technician education in rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing on the cutting edge of industry. Rapid prototyping is an enabling technology that supports design, development, and manufacturing of numerous products across many industries and academic disciplines.
The center is making key alliances with industry partners, professional organizations, and NSF projects and centers throughout the United States. These alliances are forming the foundation for growth and sustainability of the RAPIDTech Center. A strong consultant base is guiding the research into how these technologies can be utilized by various programs within the educational community.
The center is providing faculty development workshops on the latest rapid prototyping technologies and introducing faculty to project-based curriculum materials that demonstrate proper deployment of rapid prototyping throughout the product evolution process. Thus, the center is creating curriculum of varying size and content in both text and digital formats using national standards. Learning objects, mini-modules, full modules and case studies are being used to assist faculty members with introducing rapid prototyping into a variety of STEM disciplines.
Finally, the center is helping industry and schools select rapid prototyping equipment and advancing technicians who can maintain that equipment. The center is leveraging the intrinsic interest and excitement of rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing to engage a broader audience of students particularly underrepresented groups.
July 2, 2012 DUE 0702912 RapidTech has reached the end of funding of the National Center grant (ATE DUE 0702912) with a great deal of success and activities. The Center and partners have developed new processes for the technology, are assisting in the development global standards for Additive Manufacturing, assisting other K-16 institutions in adopting the technology into their instructional programs and assisting industry with research on materials and processes necessary to be successful in Additive Manufacturing and Engineering. Several workshops have been presented and dissemination activities have been numerous and well attended and received. Workshops for high school counselors and faculty have been held in partnership with industry in an attempt to interest more non-traditional students into the technical programs ( was done in partnership with Vital Link and Central County ROP from the Orange County Department of Education. Throughout the grant period for ATE DUE 0702912, RapidTech led industry and Education in the utilization and adoption of Additive Manufacturing Processes and Technologies, by assisting in research, conducting workshops, participating in ASTM Global Industry Standards (it should be noted that this is the first time an educational institution(s) have participated in the establishment of global standards), conference presentations, participation in SME Rapid educational events and consulting assistance for industry and education. RapidTech PI and CO-PI chairs the SME Educational Committee, the ASTM Educational Working Group and the Educational Committee for the Industry Users of the Technology (AMUG).
