Student Projects

Students at almost all levels utilize the machine shop for class projects. Freshmen get their initial exposure to the facility during their introductory mechanical engineering course, ME 101, in which they assemble their first robotics design project.

The students’ next exposure to the shop is during their junior year. After they are admitted into pro school, every student is enrolled in a shop orientation class where they learn basic machining skills. After this orientation students are able to utilize almost every aspect of our facility. The students use and develop their skills during the completion of their ME 382 and ME 383 design courses. In these classes they design and manufacture a robot for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers design competition and reverse engineer a device of their choosing. Both courses rely heavily on the use of the tools and machines the machine shop has to offer.

At the senior level students use the shop to manufacture their senior projects. These projects are the most complex of their undergraduate career. Students must use a variety of manufacturing techniques including welding, machining, CNC machining, rapid prototyping, and sheet metal work to construct the various elements of their designs.

Many of the student engineering organizations utilize the shop as the primary means for the production of their research projects for competition. The student organizations here at OSU are diverse and far-reaching in their research. Groups such as the Society of Automotive Engineering, NASA Microgravity Team, the Human Power Vehicle team, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge Team are just a few who make use of the shop each year.

Whether a student chooses to go on with their education at the graduate level, or starts looking for a career in the mechanical engineering field, the skills that our students develop in the shop are invaluable to their future engineering ambitions.