MET students create 'Purdue Pete's Hammer Forge'

Part showcase, part recruitment event, the annual Rockwell Automation Fair gives manufacturing engineering technology students a chance to shine away from campus.

During the first week of November, five MFET students traveled to Orlando, Fla., to demonstrate a project they built for the event. As part of the show, they were ambassadors for Purdue and the College of Technology, talking to industry professionals and prospective students about the program.

This year’s group of students created a machine, nicknamed “Purdue Pete’s Hammer Forge,” that allowed users to customize a miniature hammer of their own. Through an industrial touch screen, users could choose the color of the hammer head and the color of the handle. Once the machine finished creating the hammer, it was delivered to the customer.

Students involved with the project included Jonathan Davis, Jake Jones, Brian Seward, David Streu, and Jason Wintz, with some assistance from Zac Spencer. In addition to creating the machine, they designed and manufactured the plastic injection-molded hammer pieces.

Brad Harriger, professor of mechanical engineering technology, said the event is a great way to maintain existing relationships with industry and create new ones. Such relationships can be beneficial to the program and to the students.

“Representatives of Rockwell brought several of their customers, including Intel, by our booth to introduce them to us for providing possible future employees familiar with automation and controls associated with manufacturing,” he said. “Additionally, a representative from Clorox ventured by our booth and was very excited to find out about our program and has already followed up with trying to recruit interns and possible full-time hires for next year.”

View a YouTube video of the machine in action: