Experiments in Fostering Research skills for Undergraduates in an Inter-disciplinary Engineering Program

Developing research skills in budding engineers at the undergraduate level is a daunting task. Research thinking is an important skill that can be developed among students during their UG program, as it will lead to acquiring sound basics of the area of interest as well as develop innovating ideas. This will enhance the confidence of young engineers and their career opportunities. The proposed approach enables the student to undergo various phases listed as 1) Idea Generation 2) Defining Problem 3) Design of Procedures 4) Observation 5) Data analysis 6) Interpretation 7) Communication. Here we propose the objectives and the methodologies introduced for the systematic approach of finding a solution through the research process. The process involved is Identifying the research problem through the literature and market survey, devising a solution for the problem, building the prototype, and validating through standard tests. The proposed approach was followed under a well structured two-credit course called Research for Undergraduate(REU) planned for a selected group of students of Automation and Robotics program, which is highly inter-disciplinary. The research problem identified was the need for a low-cost solution for 3D printing on polyester fabric, a potential problem identified by many textile industries involved in the fabric printing process. Currently, the technology being used for fabric printing on polyester material is the Screen printing and Embossing methods with specific limitations. Also, the requirement was to incorporate the automation feature to print any computer-generated 3D models easily and in a flexible fashion by incorporating rapid prototyping technologies. The scope of research included the materials used for printing as well as building of the low-cost automated mechanism involving three-axis controls for laying of the material on the fabric. The standards for material testing were explored and were implemented for the selected polymer used for printing. Here, the methodologies introduced for the systematic approach of selection and testing of polymer used in printing, the building of automated printing mechanism prototype, and validating through standard tests are discussed. The performance of the developed prototype model of 3D printing mechanism is evaluated and analyzed. The mechanism was tested using two materials, namely, Silicone Rubber and the other Plastisol with puff ink for rated specifications, in terms of viscosity, flexibility, surface adhesion pressure, durability, dimensional stability, scratch resistance, and abrasion resistance.Liquid Plastisol with 30% puff ink yielded the optimum adhesion strength with better mechanical properties and good puffy appearance on polyester fabric. The mechanism to print liquid Plastisol is demonstrated by an X-Y plotter. A micropipette is placed as a liquid dispenser to lay the material in required design as per the NC codes generated from the SolidWorks software model. The control parameters are sent to the stepper motor drives through the Arduino controller to control the 3D mechanism. The proposed activity provided a lot of research insight into the design and development issues for both the students and the faculty coordinators.