5001.003.001.003 AM Materials Safety Training

Problem

The materials associated with additive manufacturing (AM) include worker hazards and safety risks. Shipping and receiving large quantities of potentially combustible, explosive, or corrosive materials pose risks to workers. Concerns of flammability, chemical compatibility, and hazard mitigation challenge the employees working with materials as well as the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) teams tasked with keeping them safe. There exists no central or consolidated source of information to help employees address these concerns.

Objective

The objective of this work was to create and deliver training materials that facilitated the quick training of existing and future experts on the lifecycle of AM materials.

Technical Approach

To ensure the curriculum and materials developed were strong and relevant from a technical perspective, The Ohio State University (OSU) Center for Design and Manufacturing Excellence (CDME) partnered with the Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI), Stratasys, Xact Metal, and MSC Direct. The scope of work consisted of four tasks focused on delivering a body of curricula implemented through the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) or any America Makes member and satisfied the goal of creating materials that educated employees on the lifecycle of AM materials. These tasks included research, development, validation and revision, and distribution. The research task involved technical reviews with existing additive experts such as OSU and YBI staff. The development stage consisted of the creation of lesson plans and building of the initial drafts of student and instructor handbooks. The validation and revision step included receiving feedback from team members who identified any gaps in the developed material. Finally, the curricular items were distributed and executed during a pilot class.

Accomplishments

An instructor and student handbook were developed as a result of this project. The project team wrote over 500 pages of additive safety materials and established 18 different lessons. In addition to the generated curriculum, the team also captured and consolidated over 500 pages of reference materials to assist in comprehension of the curriculum. An online course with content guide was created on a Learning Management System for all the course material to be delivered remotely. All educational materials were implemented in a Canvas course shell for easy synchronous and asynchronous access for future customers. A two-hour pilot course was successfully administered to a cohort of students, comprised of both academic and industry participants. Feedback was collected at the end of the course with many positive comments related to engagement and interaction, as well as the benefits of offering a virtual tour.

Project Participants

Project Principal

Other Project Participants

• Youngstown Business Incubator (YBI)
• Stratasys
• Xact Metal
• MSC Direct

Public Participants

• U.S. Department of Defense