Tuscarawas mechanical and electrical engineering technology students successfully collaborated on their capstone project during the spring semester and delivered an electric cart on finals night. A class of 12 students, six from each program, worked together to design, fabricate and build a running electric cart as their project.
Students involved with the project were James Allman, Joshua Arron, Phillip Barker, Gary Charton, Justin Courser, Kaylee Dudek, Reilly Foltz, Jacob Jones, Andrew Shepherd, Nathan Stallman, Kenny Stemple, and Dylan Wolfe.
“This was a special class, because everyone worked together to meet the objective of not only completing the project, but completing on time as promised in the proposal” said David Schlosser, Tuscarawas mechanical engineering technology adjunct instructor.
According to Schlosser, the students met several roadblocks along the way, but they worked around them to complete the project on time with a deliverable product.
“As with most projects, you hit a roadblock, what do you do? You design around it, you adapt, and you keep moving,” he said. “Everyone contributed to the project and gave 100 percent, which showed in the fact that we unveiled the cart, on time, as promised. This class did an excellent job this semester.”
Schlosser explained that the mechanical and electrical engineering students worked side by side and ran the project as a concurrent engineering project, which meant designing on the fly – real-time design – like in the working world.
“The mechanical engineering team designed the frame and welded it together, mounted the motors, and designed the printed components. The electrical group designed custom circuit boards, completed the programing, built the wiring harness, and assembled the dash, as well as mounted the batteries,” said Schlosser.
Several area companies were also involved in the success of this project. Sparta Steel donated the lion’s share of the steel; Wayne Garage Door graciously donated the use of their facility and welders for the frame fabrication; Tusco Display powder coated the cart frame and gave it a professional finish; Harrison Battery provided a tremendous discount on batteries; and Fenton Brothers Electric donated many of the odds and ends on the electrical side that made the cart run.
“We couldn't have done it without the generous support of local businesses,” said Schlosser.
For more information on the Tuscarawas Engineering degree programs, visit /tusc/engtech.
Tuscarawas is located at 330 University Dr. NE in New Philadelphia.