Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page

Case Questions

18 .
Disassemble a simple consumer product (i.e. computer mouse, bicycle air pump, etc.) and evaluate how you would orient and nest each component within a specific AM process. What MfAM adjustments would you have to make to ensure quality fabrication?
19 .
From the previous question, perform a morphological analysis and sketch a few concepts. Set up the concepts in a Pugh Concept Selection matrix and score them relative to the simple consumer product you originally chose as a baseline.
20 .
Explore www.Thingiverse.com and search ‘lattice’ on their website. Pick 10 different designs and label each lattice design as ‘functional’ or ‘aesthetic’. What does this exercise tell you about lattice systems used in product design?
21 .
Many companies are applying cellular features to heat exchanger design with published documents available from NASA, Lockheed Martin and others. Explain the benefits and the shortcomings when using cellular features to generate these structures.
22 .
Are you familiar with a company using 3D printing or additive manufacturing? Share your thoughts on what particular Phase that specific company is on the AM maturation model.
23 .
From the case company identified in the previous question, what steps would the necessary for that company to move up to higher Phases to enjoy more value out of AM design?
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/additive-manufacturing-essentials/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/additive-manufacturing-essentials/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Apr 23, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.