“I like the X7 software because it is very easy for me to teach and for the students to learn,” said Murphy. “They can prove their program in simulation and then optimize the program to shorten production time. I look for each piece to be completed on the CNC machines in less than 15 minutes. We have 20 students now in the chapter who have completed their CNC machining training. They use their free time on Saturdays to machine the items for fundraising events. That’s why the cost analysis part of the project is so important. We have two Haas CNC machining centers and a Haas CNC turn- ing center in our department.” To date, the students have sold over 120 coasters at $8 each and are now starting to bundle them into gift sets of four in response to popular demand.
The capstone program has evolved to a point where design teams present their projects for consideration in competition with each other, and students vote for the winning project through Facebook. Material costs, tooling requirements, production times and profitability are considered, in addition to design creativity.
The second design produced was a light switch plate in the shape of a lion’s head. Inside the lion’s features were machined and a pocket milled for the switch. Two holes were drilled for the fastening screws. “Last year,” she said, “one of the teams designed a small square, machined out of aluminum, with a lion head and MSSU engraved on it. It is affixed to a shot glass that we were able to purchase inexpensively in quantity.” So far, 35 have been sold to the bookstore for $8.99 apiece. In addition, the idea was expanded by drilling a quantity of the lion head/MSSU squares with a small hole in a corner for a key chain. These and the other capstone projects are displayed in MSSU’s Um- mel Technology Building with signs saying they are designed and manufactured in the university’s Industrial Engineering Technology department. “This has generated quite a bit of interest among the student body for our program,” she said. Last year’s second team designed a 3" (76-mm) long key chain comprised of the connected letters MSSU to be ma- chined out of 1/8" (3.18-mm) aluminum stock with continuous path interpolation and precise pocketing. “A lip was included in the inside of the ‘U’ to form a bottle cap opener,” said Mur- phy, “making it a multipurpose pocket item and a big winner amongst our students.”
The winning projects are meant to have long lives, well beyond each semester’s program. “Remember, these students
are going to graduate, and we need all this information in order for each year’s student chapter to keep producing the items well into the future—as long as there is demand,” Murphy said.
Murphy and students Chris Salmon, Allen Tripp and Aaron Carlsen study a toolpath pro- gram in the Mastercam lab.
Murphy, her department and the SME student chap- ter are earning quite a bit of recognition with the sale of the products. “This summer,” she said, “we presented our cap- stone projects at an exhibit in the Joplin Art-Walk along with
MSSU aluminum logo affixed to a shot glass.
a sign proclaiming ‘Made by Students in the Industrial Engi- neering Technology Program at MSSU.’ The exhibit was billed as Metal Art and generated a lot of interest in the program.” After paying for the materials for the parts, quite a bit of profit is left to benefit of the student chapter. “Once a month, on a Friday, I take the student chapter on a short trip to an interesting manufacturing facility,” says Murphy. “There are longer trips, too. ... Last year we used the generated funds to travel to Kansas City to visit the Boulevard Brewery and GM’s Fairfax facility, ranked as one of the most efficient auto manu- facturing plants in North America.” Murphy’s program at MSSU continues to grow and influ- ence students. On her wish list is the addition of a CNC mill with a high-speed spindle. Combined with the specialized toolpaths of Mastercam Art, she believes the ability to quickly machine jewelry items within a Metal Art program will attract more women to Industrial Engineering Technology. ME
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