Impact of Augmented Reality on learning Fused Deposition Modeling based 3D printing Augmented Reality for skill development

The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of various modes of Augmented Reality (AR) in learning the skills associated with a 3D printing technology called Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Three versions of an AR application named ED-AR (Educational-AR) are created using the software: Unity 3D engine and Vuforia engine. Each version contains different levels of augmentation like meret extual instructions, demonstration videos and interactive 3D (three dimensional) model simulations. Batches of students from different engineering disciplines are exposed to self-learning using the different versions of the developed application. The results show that the version with interactive simulations helped the students to learn the 3D printing skills effectively at a faster rate and also permitted good retention of the learned procedure.