Intro:

During the Spring '23 semester, I worked as part of a team to re-engineer the Lyman Filament Extruder V6 for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers student chapter. The machine is used to extrude plastic filament for 3D printing. Our team consisted of several subteams, and I primarily worked on the electrical subteam but also contributed to other subteams as needed.

Challenges:

At the beginning of the project, we faced challenges with project management, which impacted our progress in the first third of the timeline. However, we established subteams and proper resource allocation, which helped to improve our project management. As we neared the deadline, we faced several challenges with missing components, assembly issues, and wiring/hardware issues. To overcome these challenges, we had to plan and communicate solutions with the project coordinators overseeing us.

Outcome:

Despite these challenges, I had a great time working on the project. One of my favorite aspects was collaborating with talented and dedicated individuals. I also enjoyed learning new skills, such as wiring connections and understanding the functions of electrical hardware.

During the project, I learned several valuable lessons about project management, communication, and engineering skills. For example, I learned the importance of establishing subteams and clear goals at the outset of a project. These skills will be valuable in future projects.

In conclusion, we were able to successfully build the extruder by the deadline. The presentation of the project was well received and inspired other students with getting involved with the organization if future projects were tackled. I’m proud to have been given the opportunity to work on this project for ASME.