Virtual Reality (VR) is becoming popular in multiple applications like gaming,
driving, aviation and medical training, fashion and tourism. This study is focused on the
promising and encouraging role of Virtual Reality (VR) in engineering programmes.
Robust development and innovations have been accelerated in several manufacturing
technologies, especially in laser processing, additive manufacturing, and printed
electronics. These developments demonstrate the use of Industry 4.0 technologies in
creating fully automated and smart manufacturing of products controlled and monitored by
computers and robotics. To understand and develop such systems, engineering students
need to be trained and prepared for the next generation of computerised machinery, which
might not be available in every educational enterprise. Due to its unique ability to produce
parts with complex geometry, additive manufacturing (AM) is suitable for manufacturing
customised individual products in the biomedical and Aerospace industries. Flexible
designs can be adopted, and reduced mass and materials savings can be achieved in
addition to processing materials difficult to machines, such as titanium, nitinol and
magnesium alloys. Nevertheless, AM is not a standard manufacturing technology in the
training of engineering students due to the high initial cost, high running skills and access
difficulty due to health and safety regulations. This study reports the employment of a VR
lab, tackling this problem and providing the students with a VR-based AM lab in which
they can experience the entire build process and carry out assignments efficiently and, most
importantly, safely.