Development of Quality Management and Testing Processes for Design of Locally Manufactured 3D Printed Products
Open Access
Author:
Campobasso, Magdalia
Area of Honors:
Engineering Science
Degree:
Bachelor of Science
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
John Gershenson, Thesis Supervisor Andrea P. Arguelles, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Quality 3D Printing Manufacturing Local Testing
Abstract:
Poor access to necessary goods is a significant problem in many regions of the world, whether due to structural isolation from global supply chains or due to temporary crises. Bringing manufacturing closer to the end user could alleviate these problems, and technologies like 3D printing have made this solution increasingly possible. However, local manufacturing continues to face important challenges. The most significant of these challenges is maintaining high quality, which is especially important when manufacturing impactful items such as spare parts for medical devices or personal protective equipment, as opposed to the hobbyist items often made using 3D printing. This thesis builds on traditional quality management techniques and develops a quality management process appropriate for organizations performing local manufacturing using 3D printing. The quality management process proposed here is composed of a risk assessment method, mechanical and non-mechanical testing procedures, and a data collection and documentation structure. Additionally, a Product Development Manual and Testing Manual were created as reference materials for the implementation and replication of the process. The quality management process was applied to a sample organization in Kenya and found to support it in meeting and exceeding both regulatory and customer quality standards.
