Students as fabricators

[Seth Mallory]

safiq10, It is less about what tools you have but how well you use what you have. While we have well equipped shop we are regularly beaten by teams that have just hand drills as their only power tools. It is still about using the most important tool you have and that is your brain.

[Peter Matteson]

We usually have have 1 student who is the primary operator for each of our critical tools (CNC Mill, CNC Plasma Cutter, Lathes). This is a junior or senior that has spent 2 years as a minion/apprentice on that piece of equipment. That student is responsible for programming and running that piece of equipment when at meetings. We try to have 2 students learning and as back-ups in case the primary misses a meeting.

Additionally most of the mechanical team, about 20 students, can perform basic operations on the manual bridgeports. (i.e. drilling hole patterns and squaring tube) There are some students who are further trained to do the more complex manual milling jobs, usually 3-5 students.

All the mechanical kids learn to use the drill press, hand drills, riveting, basic sheetmetal bending, horizontal bandsaw, making chain

Generally we don't let student do the grinding operations because of safety concerns with the die grinders. Also broaching is usually done under supervision in our shop.

If it isn't clear from the above our students do most of the fabrication in our shop.

[DonRotolo]

Virtually everything on the robot is student-built. Mentors are really not allowed to do robot work (although we are free to build prototypes early in the season).

That means students need to be proficient with the tools. The only exceptions are the table saw (only adults) and our drivetrain side plates (Made by a sponsor).

Sure, some students use screwdrivers as a chisel, or a hammer. But the mentors try to discourage that... About 2/3 of the team works on the robot, all of them are proficient on most of the tools, and by the time they are Seniors they can use all of them - except that some are still scared of that chop saw (and for good reason). The rest are non-technical, and don't use tools generally.

Only 2 or 3 students learn how to use the lathe, mostly because we don't use it that much. Same with soldering. We don't have a welder.

We have a small lathe, 2 bandsaws, 3 drill presses, a sander (that sees way too much use), 2 chop saws and lots of small power tools, along with 3 sets of hand tools.

My goal in life is to get a few students each year who also understand how to care for and adjust these tools. I'm usually successful.