Theses and Dissertations Collection

The use of rapid prototyping in engineering education is a powerful tool. It allows students to get hands on experience with emerging engineering tools as well as the design and testing process. While the cost of the machines has come down over the past several years with the introduction of 3D printers that cost several thousand dollars, the operating cost can still be a barrier for some schools, especially in the k-12 environment. To make rapid prototyping ultra-affordable new materials and methods need to be explored for use in the pursuit of creating a system that has very low cost of operation and is easy to use. This thesis focuses on the exploration of materials and methods that have low cost, primarily using post-consumer high density polyethylene in additive and subtractive manufacturing methods.