3D Printing: Technology, Applications, and Selection

3D Printing is a faster, more cost-effective method for building prototypes from three-dimensional computer-aided design (CAD) drawings. 3D Printing provides a fundamental overview of the general product design and manufacturing process and presents the technology and application for designing and fabricating parts in a format that makes learning easy. This user-friendly book clearly covers the 3D printing process for designers, teachers, students, and hobbyists and can also be used as a reference book in a product design and process development.

Rafiq Noorani received his B.Sc. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), a M. Engr. in Nuclear Engineering and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University.

He is currently a tenured Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. He previously taught engineering at Texas A&M University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington before joining Loyola Marymount University in 1989. His teaching interests

include CAD/CAM, Rapid Prototyping, 3D Printing and Robotics. He has received over 35 external grants totaling over $2 million including 6 grants from National Science Foundation (NSF). He has published 12 journal papers and 76 conference papers in national and international journals and conferences. With the help of a recent NSF grant, he has worked with his colleagues to develop an undergraduate program in Nanotechnology at LMU.

Dr. Noorani published the first textbook on Rapid Prototyping from North America in 2006 titled: Rapid Prototyping – Principles and Applications. The book was published by John Wiley & Sons. He also became a Fellow of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). According to ASME guidelines, the fellow grade of membership recognizes exceptional engineering achievements and contributions to the engineering profession.

As an international professor, he teaches and lectures on CAD/CAM, 3D Printing and Robotics in many countries including Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh. Dr. Noorani is a professional member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) and American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE).