Anyone who wants students to work independently on industrial equipment needs one thing above all: a safe system with low barriers to entry. Cambrian R&D, the applied research and development division of Cambrian College in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, uses a Desktop Metal Studio System to show how metal 3D printing can be responsibly integrated into teaching, even with inexperienced operators.

Cambrian R&D: Applied Research for the Northern Ontario Economy

Founded in 2009, Cambrian R&D sees itself as an engineering office that makes new technologies accessible to the regional economy – with access to more than 80 study programs and the manufacturing facilities of Cambrian College. In addition to welding equipment, a waterjet cutter and a laser cutter, the division has a prototyping room with various plastic 3D printing technologies, from resin printers to a large-format system with one cubic meter of build volume. In 2024, the Desktop Metal Studio System was added as its first system for additive metal manufacturing.

The Gap: Stronger than Plastic, Weldable and Safe for Students

The investment was driven by a specific manufacturing gap that became apparent above all in contact with the regional mining sector. Patrick Galipeau-Belair, P.Eng., Mechanical Engineer Research Lead at Cambrian College, describes the requirement: “We needed something stronger than the output from our plastic printers and also be weldable because many custom components are part of larger assemblies.” Safety in teaching was another decisive factor in choosing the Studio System: “We have students operating the machine with limited experience. They’re still learning and they’re out of the classroom, so safety was a big factor for us and we like the low PPE requirements of the Studio System.”

The Desktop Metal Studio System works according to the Bound Metal Deposition (BMD) process: unlike powder bed systems, it extrudes pre-bound metal rods layer by layer, without any loose powder and without lasers. As a result, the system could be integrated into the existing prototyping room without major structural changes – the printer unit sits on a desk, and only a simple exhaust connection on an outside wall had to be retrofitted for the sintering furnace.

From Polymer Prototype to Wheel Hub: A Practical Project with High Load Requirements

The central project was the development of wheel hubs for the drivetrain of an all-terrain rover. The team had to design motor-to-wheel interfaces that withstand high torques as well as repeated shock loads, abrasive terrain and moisture. Plastic prototypes were first used to check fit, bolt pattern and tolerances before the team switched to 17-4PH V2 stainless steel, chosen for its high tensile strength, corrosion resistance and stable mechanical properties over a wide temperature range. The geometry was specifically adapted: reinforced wall thicknesses at loaded points, fillets at stress concentrations and revised internal geometries for clean sintering and easy removal of the support material. The result: instead of several weeks for conventional CNC machining, the finished, functional component was ready just four working days after the final CAD model – with significantly reduced or entirely eliminated post-processing.

Sara Hicks, Mechanical Designer at Cambrian R&D, emphasizes the low barrier to entry for students: “The user interface is very easy – we drop in our model and from there, it’s very intuitive, especially for our students who might not have 3D printing experience.” Galipeau-Belair adds how closely the students are involved in the process: “The students do the hands-on work – they design the parts and they print them. They learn the whole process under our supervision, but it’s them who do all the work.” For the students, this also brings a tangible career benefit: “The students who work at Cambrian R&D are pretty much guaranteed a job when they come and work on customer projects.”

From Teaching Project to Customer Order: Industry Partners Benefit Too

The fact that additive metal manufacturing fits seamlessly into existing processes became clear when the team welded printed stainless steel parts to other components: “We welded the 3D printed steel to other parts and didn’t have any issues with the final material, everything was great.” According to Hicks, some industry partners hardly notice the change in technology: “Some customers are a bit skeptical and find it hard to believe that, at the end of the day, it’s just stainless steel.” In addition to technical projects for industry, Cambrian R&D also used the system to produce thirty golf putter heads as thank-you gifts for the college’s donors – complete with printed-in branding and no subsequent engraving.

Context: Bound Metal Deposition and Binder Jetting as Complementary Paths into Education

Cambrian R&D’s Studio System shows how metal 3D printing can be integrated into teaching with a particularly low threshold using the powder-free and laser-free BMD process. For universities that also want to research the process fundamentals of binder jetting themselves, Desktop Metal offers a complementary, research-oriented portfolio with systems such as InnoventX: while the Desktop Metal InnoventX system is specifically designed for investigating powder spreading, binder saturation and microstructure, a powder bed binder jetting system such as the Shop System scores more in the direct series production of components – both paths have their place in academic additive manufacturing, depending on whether the focus is on process research or on safe, widely accessible component production.

What This Means for Other Educational Institutions

The Cambrian R&D case shows that additive metal manufacturing in education does not necessarily require complex safety infrastructure. Institutions that want to give students a practical yet safe introduction to metal manufacturing while also serving real industrial projects will find a proven approach in the powder-free and laser-free Bound Metal Deposition process – with measurable benefits for students, the college and industry partners alike.

Conclusion

Cambrian College proves that education, applied research and real customer projects can be combined on a single additive manufacturing system – and that safety and accessibility for students need not be at odds with robust, ready-to-use metal components.

Get in Touch Now

Would you like to integrate additive metal manufacturing into teaching or applied research safely and with a low barrier to entry? Contact AM Pioneers – we will advise you on the right Desktop Metal system.

Source

Desktop Metal, case study “Metal 3D Printing with Student Operators at Cambrian College” – https://www.desktopmetal.com/resources/cambrian-college-studio-system-metal-3d-printing-with-student-operators and the linked PDF case study (20250507_DM_Cambrian_CaseStudy_web.pdf).