Day: December 18, 2020

New Funding for MMET Labs

MMET: Learn. Do. Succeed.

MMET Lecturer Kevin Johnson and MMET Department Chair John Irwin teamed up to raise funds to enhance fluid power offerings in the MMET department, with great success.

Amatrol

The two were awarded generous grants from the National Fluid Power Association (NFPA) and from the Parker-Hannifin Foundation to develop curriculum and provide hydraulic equipment to support the department’s Parker Motion and Control Laboratory at Michigan Tech.

Amatrol

There are two fluid power courses available for MET and/or Mechatronics students at Michigan Tech. Those are MET4377 – Applied Fluid Power, and MET4378 – Advanced Hydraulics: Electro- hydraulic Components & Systems. “The second course incorporates Industry 4.0 concepts used in automated manufacturing,” notes Irwin.

“There is an emphasis in the MMET department to incorporate Industry 4.0 concepts in the curriculum,” he adds.

“The MMET department is cooperating with Michigan Tech’s College of Computing to teach MS Mechatronics courses, utilizing the Electrical Engineering Technology (EET ) PLC and Robotics lab. Another example of this synergistic partnership is the delivery of a new Career and Technical Education course in Mechatronics offered by the MMET department for high school juniors and seniors. Implementation of this program included generous start-up funding from the Copper Country Intermediate School system to provide equipment for the high school students—both an Amatrol Skill Boss unit and additional Parker-Hannifin basic and advanced hydraulic training equipment.

MMET’s new Parker-Hannafin hydraulic training equipment

In addition, the MMET department has invested in additional Amatrol pneumatic training equipment to supplement the current capabilities in power systems.

The new Amatrol Skill Boss

“The MMET department is clearly the leader on the Michigan Tech campus for fluid power.” 

John Irwin

MMET Fall 2020 Senior Projects at Michigan Tech

Senior Design is thriving in the MMET department at Michigan Tech

“We’re very excited about two sponsored projects that are underway this fall 2020,” says John Irwin, chair of the Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology at Michigan Tech.

“Members of our MMET Industrial Advisory Board from three different companies supported projects, providing two student groups with a scope of work to research solutions, develop alternatives to design and then manufacture prototypes of those solutions. We are very thankful for the support of Kohler, Balluff and Pettibone for the sponsorship of the fall 2020 projects.”

Be sure to check out the student presentation videos for the Balluff/Pettibone project and the Kohler project.

“The MMET Machine Shop remains extremely busy delivering courses that utilize the machine shop facility, generating parts and designs for research projects, machining and fabrication for enterprise projects, and of course the fabrication of MET senior capstone projects,” adds Irwin.

One of the recent additions to the machine shop are two CNC Tormach Lathes with an 8-station turret, and a full enclosure with coolant nozzle.

MET students are using the new equipment to develop a Tailstock redesign as a capstone senior project. The project started last spring. Check out their senior design video for full details

Read about previous MMET senior projects in greater detail here.

New Publications by Michigan Tech MMET Faculty

Dr. Michelle Jarvie-Eggart

Michelle Jarvie-Eggart, Senior Lecturer, co-authored a work-in-progress paper “Understanding First-Year Engineering Student Definitions of Engineering Disciplines” and also published and presented in the 2020 ASEE virtual conference proceedings. Learn more here.

Lecturer Kevin Johnson and John Irwin, Professor/Chair, co-authored two papers published and presented at the ATMAE and IAJC Virtual Joint Conference.

Kevin Johnson

The first paper, “Program Improvement Utilizing the SME CMfgT and NCEES FE Exam Results” and the second “Preparation of MET Students for the NCEES FE Exam – Lessons Learned” both present MET student exit exam results from over the past 10-15 years. Many MET students pass the very rigorous Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam qualifying them in most states to eventually become certified as Professional Engineers. Learn more here.

Dr. Irwin along with Assistant Professor David Labyak authored a paper published and presented in the 2020 ASEE virtual conference proceedings entitled “FEA Taught the Industry Way.” The paper shared result from a survey they conducted of students and industry. The survey sought input on methods used to teach FEA to develop skills for accurate analysis, physical testing of parts, and reporting results in a format required by industry professionals. Read the ASEE paper here.

“It’s Working!” — Copper Country Intermediate School District and Michigan Tech Launch a New CTE Program in Mechatronics

Michigan Tech recently launched a year-long Career and Technical Education (CTE) program for high school juniors or seniors in the area of Mechatronics. The new CTE Mechatronics program is offered through a partnership between Michigan Tech and the Copper Country Intermediate School District (CCISD).

Mechatronics uses electromechanical systems, typically automated for the design of products and processes. Industry 4.0—sometimes called the “fourth industrial revolution”—applies various aspects of mechatronics to manufacturing enterprises. Topics in the CTE Mechatronics program include; automation, computer integrated manufacturing, high speed manufacturing, embedded systems design and controls, industrial robotics, pneumatics, hydraulics, and computer-aided design.

“Students in the program will find careers in smart manufacturing fields, or they can find a pathway at Michigan Tech into undergraduate or graduate degrees in Engineering Technology, Engineering, or Mechatronics.” says John Irwin, chair of the Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology.

Teaming up to deliver the instruction are faculty in the Mechatronics, Electrical and Robotics Engineering Technology (MERET) program in the College of Computing, and faculty in the Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET) Department in the College of Engineering.

There are 10 students enrolled this fall 2020 from the local area school districts of Houghton, Hancock, Calumet, and L’Anse. CTE Director Shawn Kolbus expects the program to only increase in popularity. “Local business owners approached us last year wanting to get more students from the area interested in Mechatronics, CADD and Engineering,” he says. “The result was the Mechatronics program which encompasses standards from each area.”

George Ochieze

The course is taught by two mechatronics professionals who possess both industry and teaching experience. One of those instructors is George Ochieze, who is pursuing a master’s degree in Mechatronics and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech. “Even in difficult times during the pandemic, these young scholars show overwhelming potential to conquer the mechatronics field—a glimpse into a welcoming future in engineering,” says Ochieze.

Chinmay Kondekar

The second instructor, Chinmay Kondekar, will earn an MS in Electrical Engineering at Michigan Tech in 2021. “Teaching for local schools is an opportunity for me to give back to people in the community who welcomed me as an international student,” says Kondekar. “I hope to create a strong interest in robotics and automation in my students. People with these skills will be the future of manufacturing and will have plenty of opportunities.”

Program enrollment is closed for 2020, but will be available again starting in fall 2021. This spring there will be the opportunity for area sophomore and junior students to visit Michigan Tech to tour the labs and meet the instructors. Both the Applied Computing and MMET department labs used at Michigan Tech are equipped with state-of-the-art electronics and mechanical systems partially provided through generous startup funding from the CCISD.

For more information please contact Shawn Kolbus, Director, Career and Technical Education, Copper Country Intermediate School District (906) 250-5353.

Michigan Tech faculty administering the CTE program include Prof. John Irwin, Chair of the Department of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology, or Prof. Alex Sergeyev in the College of Computing.