This week Michigan Tech ECE Professor Chris Middlebrook and four MTU students traveled to Rosemont, Illinois near Chicago this week to take part in the Bright Manufacturing Challenge and attend the SMTA International 2025 Conference and Expedition.
The Bright Manufacturing Challenge is an immersive, hands-on experience where student teams design, fabricate, and test a custom printed circuit board to serve as the control center for a robot. The challenge is hosted by the Electronics Manufacturing & Assembly Collaborative (EMAC). Any teams of 2-5 members can take part in the multidisciplinary, team-based competition, which simulates a real-world engineering product development cycle.
Michigan Tech ECE undergraduates Emily Daley, Peter Kocour, Katelyn Spolnicki, and ECE graduate student Rishin Patra took part in Round 1 (PCB Design) of the challenge back in July 2025. They earned a team prize of $1,000 and placed among the top 8 teams, securing their spot in Round 2 of the challenge (Fabrication DFM Review).
Next up will be Round 3, focusing on assembly, including planning and preparing for the circuit board population. The last phase is Round 4, which involves final integration–and features the grand finale of the competition: a robot challenge
Daley, Kocour, Spolnickiu and Patra are all members of the Michigan Tech’s IPC and Electronics student chapter, advised by Prof. Middlebrook. The chapter focuses on industry connections, plant tours, conference attendances, and all other things to do with the printed circuit board (PCB) or electronics industries.