After studying last year’s design as well as learning from competitors including Georgia Tech and Florida Atlantic University, Failach quickly realized he needed a way to compete with teams that had more resources than he did. After discussing with his advisor, Dr. Rafael Landaeta, the team was given full access to two uPrint 3D printers. The team, which consists of a core group of five mechanical engineers, one computer science volunteer and one electrical grad student volunteer, began by downloading GrabCAD Print software.
This allows each student to print directly from his or her own computer. It also lets the students, who are on a strict budget for the project, see exactly how much filament each print requires, ensuring they don’t go over budget or waste material. To save on time and money, the team is 3D printing as many components for their vessel as possible. “Every single piece of electronics attached to the boat has a bracket that’s custom printed,” Failach says. They’re also printing the vents, cable conduit, casings for ultrasonic sensors, and mounts for the webcam.
By the time the vessel is ready for competition, Failach predicts it will include more than fifty custom 3D printed pieces. By contrast, last year’s boat only included two 3D printed vents and four ultrasound cases. The ability to custom print so many pieces is likely to give them an edge, according to Dr. Landaeta. “Of course we’re excited they’re going to be highly competitive,” he says. Learning from the previous year’s team, who didn’t use 3D printing at all, has cut the prototyping and building time for this year’s vessel in half.
But it wasn’t just the printers that helped. If Failach’s team had not learned to use GrabCAD Print, they would likely have fallen behind in the prototyping phase. Without the ability to print individually, they would have relied on one staff member using Catalyst software, who prints designs for the entire school. This process, Dr. Landaeta said, could possibly take up to two weeks for students to receive their designs. “A bottleneck defeats the purpose of rapid prototyping,” Failach says. “Can you really call it rapid if you have to wait a week or more to receive the printed piece?”
But learning how to use GrabCAD Print software and 3D printers isn’t just giving Failach an edge in Robonation. It has already given him an edge in the job market. The senior recently attended the Society of Professional Hispanic Engineers annual conference where interviews for engineering jobs take place.
“I took a 10 percent 3D printed model of the vessel and some videos with me. Every time I talked to anyone, I showed them the model and videos. Everyone else had papers and just talked about their resumes. No one gave them a physical representation of what they did. Now I have a career lined up when I finish school in May.” Failach was offered a position in Huntington Ingalls Newport News Shipyard propulsion department. Upon graduation, Failach is excited to begin a career as a mechanical engineer. That is, after his vessel competes in Robonation, of course.
