NASA
S
2020
Addictive
Manufacturing
Cl
ient Pr
oject
Aerospace engineering: Nasa recently launched its University Leadership Initiative, which partners with CMU’s NextManufacturing Center, to explore 3D printing technologies (additive manufacturing). The ultimate goal is to increase in speed and flexibility in aerospace manufacturing, on top of cost reduction.
HCI Capstone Project
As a subset of this larger project, our HCI capstone team aimed to streamline the originally disjointed research processes by designing a project management tool.
Objectives
We delineated three levels of objectives. As this whole initiative is currently at its infancy, we focused on the low-level problem space as a stepping stone to ultimately helping our client reach their mid- and high-level objectives.
High lv.
Ultimate cost-efficiency, fast production, and quality Assurance
Mid lv.
Machine qualification and
technique guidelines
Low
Initial focus: how users conflate theoretical explorations with the printing ecosystem
Research & Insights
Literatur Review
Compared to other 3D printing methods, this new laser powder bed fusion method can produce more robust parts with complicated geometries at a fraction of the cost.
Machine
& Technique
Stakeholder Map
Since this project involves various organizations and stakeholders each having a slightly different goal, we mapped our the key relationships.
Stakeholders
& Users
Process Journey
This helps us understand the current processes and how stakeholders interact in order to find opportunity areas.
Current
Culture & Process
Synthesis
User journey
Since the lab currently lacked efficiency from not having unifying protocols, we focused on streamlining and standardizing the researchers’ journey.
Scheduling
Find Resources
Building Objectives
Shape Design
Parameter Setting
Refocused as a project management and data analysis tool
Machine Monitoring
Took out because Covid-19 prevented further access to the lab/machines
Inspection
Iteration & testing
Security & Ownership
How can users develop trust for the data, visualizations, and team sharing
Users are responsible for individual aspects of larger projects.
Culture & Communication
How will our tool be more seamlessly integrated into lab and whole initiative's processes?
Communication is lacking in lab in general.
Calculation vs. Proj tracker
Everyone in the lab now has their own disjointed ways and medium of calculation. Some of these are not technically straightforward to be incorporated into one tool.
Final Designs
Main
Dashboard
Easy visual access to lab timeline.
Quick access to recent projects & start new projects.
Top navigation bar: able to toggle between resource reference and actual project management
Reference
Library
Search for a material or relevant project and find the link to more information regarding the material properties and overall success factors.
See a cumulative process window that encompasses all of the process windows
Projects
& Builds
See different projects in accordance with the labs it is associated to.
Generate a new project by the main categories as set forth by the lab’s standards/ policies.
Compile the information into a form that can be easily submitted to the lab monitor.
Create
New build
This is a setup screen that allows researchers and technicians to input essential information regarding a specific build, including project descriptions, objectives, and material
This encourages actively logging projects in a centralized database.
Shape
Design
This screen allows users to view the analysis of their current shape in terms of block positioning, view angle, cost and material analysis
Users also have access to view past shapes for a given material
Parameter
Setting
Presents a visual representation of all the past parameters tested for the same material at CMU with the same machine, showing at a glance the result of each point and auto-generated best-fit lines
Users click into each parameter point to see information from the previous project and some reasons for success or failure.
Machine
Submission
Here, is a final check page as well as an option for additional machine finishing.
Important information such as estimates for the total cost, print time is presented and they can submit the form for approval by the Next Manufacturing Center.
Handoff & Roadmap
Immediate Next Step
Testing additive manufacturing professionals outside of the ULI team.
Our project scope only accounted for researchers until they hand off the print job to the machine technicians. Technicians journey should be explored next, paving the way for bridging the research phase with industry usage of aerospace manufacturing, as well.
Metrics for Success
Have the lab members use the platform and notice increase in efficiency for workflow.
Reduction of time in the process of researching and documenting involved in prototyping aerospace parts.
Adoption amongst NASA ULI partner organizations
such as the various educational institutions.
Technical Architecture
For resource references, we would integrate Mendeley and Box.
For frontend, we recommend three.js, a 3D imaging library, and D3, a data visualization library.
For backend, we recommend using Express.js along with EOS printer machine API integration.