Difficulties in Implementing 3D Printers in Zayed University
Write two pages about the difficulties in implementing new 3D
printers in Zayed University (our own design *new 3d printers that
doesn’t exist*)
Solution
Introduction
Implementation of 3D printing in Zayed University for use by the students would have
been a very successful venture since the advantages it would have brought to the students and to
the university in general are untold. However, implementation of the new technology in the
university is likely to face difficulties, which unless the university finds ideal measures or
methods to tackle, the implementation process might come to a halt or might become slow. This
section will focus on listing and describing the major challenges that the university is likely to
encounter in the implementation of the project which students are looking forward to its
achievement.
Difficulties in Implementing 3D Printers in Zayed University
The major challenges the University is likely to face include equipment costs, software
development and capabilities insufficiency, lack of expertise, data storage requirements, limited
in house additive manufacturing resources, risk of legal action, unreliable printing process, old
and outdated workflow and output quality (StratasysDirect.com, 2015). Purchase and
maintenance of a quality 3D printer is costly since it has to possess all the features and meet
certain standards for it to be used in an educational setting. The university might need to plan
itself adequately before it goes to the market to purchase the printers since they might get
disappointed when they reach the market and find the prices are not up to their expectations.
The cost not only revolves around the equipment. The setting around which the 3D
printers will be used has to be upgraded since other equipment have to be purchased, as they
work hand in hand with the printers. They include monitors, quality CPUs, mouse keyboards,
and comprehensive power connections. The University has to ensure all the requirements are met
despite their cost. The other challenge that might affect the university is lack of qualified
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personnel to guide the students on how the equipment is to be used. Lack of skilled manpower
can act as a major liability to the University since the equipment faces the risk of being
mishandled and spoiled. Software development and its capabilities is another challenge that the
University should be prepared to encounter (Evans, 2012, p.50). Getting the right software for
the equipment is difficult as their availability is limited thus might hinder work flow to a greatly.
The printing process in 3D printers is usually unreliable thus has to be observed which
for new users with an unskilled instructor can be daunting since it involves constant adjustment
of formats, parameters and other mechanical parts. Some outputs of 3D printers require
specialized storage facilities depending on the materials used thus the university has to ensure
that facility is available fitted with specialized equipment to maintain the designs since some of
them are usually delicate (Bell, 2015, p.73). Upholding quality of output is a challenging task as
it depends on the 3D printer used thus it is the University’s role to ensure that their students get
the current equipment for comprehensive institution of 3D printing in the University.
Conclusion
The challenges facing the implementation of 3D printers in any environment are many
thus institutions and organizations should plan and strategize efficiently before they adopt the
approach, since lack of comprehensive planning has presented itself to be another challenge
facing organizations wishing to undertake the venture. Zayed University stakeholders especially
those mandated with the responsibility of overseeing successful implementation of 3D printers in
the University should consider every challenge likely to present itself as see if the university is
capable of handling it. If the university is not up to the task, other alternatives can be considered
in making the awaited dream a reality.
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References
Bell, C. (2015). 3D printing with Delta printers. Place of publication not identified: Apress.
Evans, B. (2012). Practical 3D printers. New York: Apress.
StratasysDirect.com, (2015). Top Challenges to Widespread 3D Printing Adoption. Retrieved on
5 th March 2016 from https://www.stratasysdirect.com/blog/top-3d-printing-challenges/