Texas A&M University was represented at the Los Alamos National Lab (LANL) inaugural Capstone Competition by two teams, one from mechanical engineering and the other from the Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology (MMET) program in the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution. The MMET contingent of Michael Leimer, Bennett Schafroth, Cody Salazar and Steven Ritchey brought home the win with their innovative solution to the prescribed challenge.
The competitors were tasked with creating a roll switch that activated a circuit upon meeting predetermined conditions while surviving a range of harsh testing environments. A roll switch equates to a switch from a 9V battery to turn on an LED at a specified RPM after a set time interval. While the behavioral requirements and testing environments were strictly defined, full design freedom was allowed with only basic size requirements. This allowed experimentation with unique designs during the early brainstorming stages. The MMET team developed two prototypes and optimized the final design for size and weight.
During the competition, the switch was required to function pre- and post-environmental testing, which included thermal, vibration, shock, drop, and blast evaluations. The team was scored on mid-term and final reports as well as competition presentations. Judging included the design’s functionality, size, weight, design features, manufacturing and cost. The MMET team and its device performed flawlessly, earning the first-place overall finish.
For Schafroth, the most impactful part of the experience was learning to properly apply all he had learned throughout college to design, manufacture and present a product. In addition to advancing technical knowledge, team members cited dividing tasks, managing time, scheduling deliverables and creating deadlines as important lessons during the process. They value these skills as beneficial for their future careers.
“Competitions such as this serve as good experiences and help distinguish you from other recent graduates. It has been a good talking point during interviews as it has given me experience in design, project management and teamwork,” Leimer stated.
The team appreciates their LANL sponsors Chris Arnold and Connor McNellis as well as MMET’s Gary Bradley, Chris Smith and Dr. Michael Johnson for supporting the team every step of the way. “I am extremely proud of their success and excited to watch these impressive students make their mark on the world,” said Bradley.