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dc.contributor.advisorWichers, J.H.
dc.contributor.advisorDe Beer, D.J.
dc.contributor.authorAlabi, MichealOmotayo
dc.date.accessioned2019-09-04T06:46:32Z
dc.date.available2019-09-04T06:46:32Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10394/33278
dc.identifier.urihttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-7707-3609
dc.descriptionPhD (Development and Management Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campusen_US
dc.description.abstractAdditive Manufacturing (AM) which is also known as 3D printing technology; is a process by which digital 3-dimensional data is used to build up components or parts layer upon layer by depositing material. Additive manufacturing has been identified as a $21^{\text { st }}$ century emerging technology and is becoming popular within the academia and several industries globally. At present, Additive manufacturing has a wide variety of potential application areas such as automotive, aerospace, healthcare, electronics, manufacturing, education, tooling, food, construction, etc. In this era of Fourth Industrial Revolution, FIR, also known as 'Industry 4.0', additive manufacturing has been recognised as one of the nine technologies of industry 4.0 (i.e. Internet of Things, Big Data and Analytics, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, Simulation, Augmented Reality, Autonomous Robots, Additive Manufacturing and Horizontal and Vertical System Integration) that is expected to revolutionize different sectors and bring about a significant transformation in industrial production and manufacturing industries. South Africa is one of the active countries on the African continent promoting additive manufacturing technology, education and research both in the academia and industry. The South African government through the Department of Science and Technology has invested significantly towards research activities and growth of AM technology. As additive manufacturing technology is growing in South Africa, there is a need for more educated personnel and industry professionals in the field. In 2013, during a stakeholder workshops in South Africa, education was highlighted as one of the main priorities to ensure a successful adoption of AM technology in South Africa. The stakeholders include people from industry, government, higher education institutions, 3D printing service providers and R&D institutes. Additive manufacturing technologies are still at an infant stage and to reap the full potential of this technology, its inclusion in the educational curriculum is crucial. To achieve this, an effective framework for additive manufacturing education must be developed. Through a comprehensive literature survey, it was identified that there is no specific framework for additive manufacturing education at the universities worldwide; including South African universities as well. As part of South African Additive Manufacturing Strategy which is to ensure AM education at different educational levels; the development of a short, medium and long-term educational framework for AM was identified as one of the essential measures to achieve this. The research problem for this study is that "as several manufacturing and industrial sectors are adopting AM technologies in South Africa, there is a need for more university graduates, most especially in science and engineering with fundamental or in-depth knowledge of AM technology to work with the emerging AM sectors or 3D printing service bureau in South Africa. It is very important to develop an effective framework for AM education for South African universities that will further promote AM education among students, academia and industry's professionals". Therefore, this study focuses on "Additive Manufacturing Education" and aimed to investigate the impacts of AM technology at selected South African universities and thereafter, to propose a framework for effective additive manufacturing education using South African universities as the case study. The South African universities were selected because of the active presence of AM research group, AM/3D printing lab and well-equipped state-of-the-art AM in-house facilities for use of the students and academics. This study is expected to answer one main research question and four sub-research questions as rightly formulated and stated in the first chapter of the thesis. This study has been conducted using a case study research approach with the main data collected through a comprehensive structured questionnaire and followed by open-ended questions distributed among university students and academics. The questionnaire was carefully designed based on literature reviews. The factors/variables used were identified through a literature survey and were considered suitable in the development of a framework for additive manufacturing education and these factors includes - additive manufacturing technology, technology transfer, educational curriculum, in-house facilities and research and development (R&D). The first phase involved a pilot survey circulated among academics, AM experts and 3D printing service bureaus with the aim to complete the questionnaire and to provide significant feedback as relating to the closed-ended and open-ended questions in the questionnaire, hence, it assisted the researcher to improve the quality of the measuring instrument. The second phase involved the main data collection; and the questionnaires were circulated among students and academics across selected South African universities and appropriate hypotheses were also formulated. The third phase involved the statistical analysis, discussion and interpretation of the data. Finally, the framework for AM education was developed. The main contribution of this study towards the existing body of knowledge in additive manufacturing technology was in the form of a proposed framework for additive manufacturing education at the universities. The framework explains the main activities or factors that would ensure a successful AM education framework/implementation at the universities. The proposed framework would allow the government sectors/department/bodies and key players in AM in South Africa and abroad to see the need to invest significant towards the advancement of AM technology, education and research activities at the universities.en_US
dc.publisherNorth-West University (South Africa)en_US
dc.subjectAdditive Manufacturingen_US
dc.subjectSouth African Universitiesen_US
dc.subjectIndustrial Sectorsen_US
dc.subjectRapid Prototypingen_US
dc.subjectTraditional Manufacturingen_US
dc.subjectConventional Manufacturingen_US
dc.subjectSubstantive Manufacturingen_US
dc.subjectechnology Transferen_US
dc.subjectSustainabilityen_US
dc.subject3D Printing Technologyen_US
dc.subjectEntry-level FDM 3D Printersen_US
dc.subjectHigh-end Industrial Additive Manufacturing Machinesen_US
dc.subjectIndustry 4.0. Educational Curriculumen_US
dc.titleFramework for effective additive manufacturing education at South African Universitiesen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.description.thesistypeDoctoralen_US
dc.contributor.researchID10065350 - Wichers, Jacob Harm (Supervisor)
dc.contributor.researchID21755876 - De Beer, Deon Johan (Supervisor)


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