Manufacturing Engineering (1st)

These projects are at the midpoint of a two-semester sequence.  They are not complete.

NXP El Mandadero

Sponsor: NXP - Iain Galloway 

Student Team: Oscar Garza, Connor Good, Eric Reyes, Cathryn Tamney

Faculty Advisor: Mark Summers

Our team is working to help improve or justify the mechanics used on three parts of the El Mandadero, grocery delivery robot. First, our team will look into different ways to create a bumper that helps the rover to avoid collision and reduce damage. Second the team will work on the best way to create a secure, yet easy to use latch for the compartment doors. Finally, the team will evaluate different suspension ideas and compare them to the current torsion suspension to determine what is best.

Optimization of the Concrete Wheel Stop Manufacturing Process

Sponsor: Michael Hathaway

Student Team: Stephen C. Marines, Sergio M. Sepulveda, Nathaniel G. Lazaga

Faculty Advisor: Mr. Mark Summers 

The project assigned to this Senior Design team is based on the production of concrete wheel stops to meet high demands. Roadway Striping Inc. initially started as a striping company, creating parking lot layouts and striping pavements for local businesses. Roadway Striping originally sourced the wheel stops from an external supplier, however, focus turned on creating these in-house to reduce costs. Demand for wheel stops continues to increase, creating the need for a more efficient and effective method of their production.  

Drone Pre-Flight Diagnostics and Drone Recovery System

Sponsor: Airogistic

Student Team: Katherine Ausanka, Jordan Smesny, James Smetzer, Victor Ekwuribe

Faculty Advisor: Mr. Mark Summers

UAV’s (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) are becoming more prevalent as new technology emerges and it is critical to have an autonomous diagnostic system in place to ensure safe flying. The first part of the project will work with electrical and industrial engineering students to develop autonomous diagnostic systems for a drone landing pad. The second part of the project is to work with electrical engineering students on a drone recovery system which will autonomously retrieve fallen drones during flight assessments in a drone dome testing facility. 

31 Degrees Beverage Dispenser

Sponsor: Mr. Wes Lange, Dr. Patrick Thomas

Student Team: Clint Walker, Nicholas Grames, Austin Woods

Faculty Advisor: Mr. Mark Summers

31 Degrees owns a fleet of margarita dispensing machines and margarita mix holding tanks. This multidisciplinary project will make an iOS app with an operational dashboard that shows information about how full each tank is in real time, along with more data. To retrieve this data, the teams will make a weight scale and convert the weight of the tank into number of gallons, and then into how full the tank is in percent. The Manufacturing Sub-Team is primarily responsible for designing, prototyping, and fabricating an enclosure to be used for housing the circuitry of the scale, as well as any brackets or supports to ensure that the electrical components are secured within the enclosure. The manufacturing team is also responsible for designing a quick-disconnect temperature sensor port in a representative tank. 

HE Solar

Sponsor: HE Solar

Student Team: Cameron Ogilvie, Shelby Sereno, Steven Martinez

Faculty Advisor: Mr. Mark Summers

The objective of this project is to have a solar tracker that can function anywhere in the continental United States. Having a solar panel track the sun vs having it stationary will greatly increase efficiency. Our main objectives are to improve the mobility, smoother movement in the azimuth and elevation, and incorporate a wind sensor.