To the 3rd Dimension and Beyond!
Mechanical Engineering in the New World Summer Camp 2014
14 students learned about Additive Manufacturing and its
applications in mechanical engineering by participating in
workshops and demonstrations, attending seminars, and
learning to use CAD software like SolidWorks and
Tinkercad, culminating in a Grand Challenge design
competition.
Workshops
Students participated in a number of workshops covering 3D scanning, design, printing, software introductions, casting activities, and a Laser Powder Deposition demonstration.
3D Scans and Name Plates
Uploaded 3D scans of students allowed them to edit the size and portion of the scan desired in Netfabb. Students then uploaded the edited scans into Tinkercad and created name plates to be printed on the B9Creator.
Sand Cast Bag Tags
Using Tinkercad or SolidWorks, students designed bag tags given size limitations. These 3D printed tags were then used to create molds for aluminum sand casting.
Laser Powder Deposition Demonstration
A tour of the Additive Manufacturing Laboratory and safety lecture ended with a demonstration on the LENS system. The "3D" coins were created by Laser Powder Deposition.
Seminars
Students attended seminars hosted by SDSM&T faculty and camp instructors on Additive Manufacturing processes, areas of mechanical engineering, materials, conventional manufacturing methods, and design.
Grand Challenge
Students competed in three groups for trophies in a Grand Challenge as defined by the National Academy of Engineering. Students were challenged to design and prototype human-powered water pumps and competed to see which team could pump the most water in 5 minutes. Guest judges determined the winner based on criteria including total amount of water pumped, amount of materials used, engineering merit, design presentation, aesthetics, and creativity.
The winning team pumped 33.5 liters of water with their submerged reciprocating pump. Second place pumped 12.5 liters of water with their hand-manned valve system. Third place managed to pump 8.5 liters by improvising when their pump failed.
1st Place
3rd Place
2nd Place
