the delivery of replacement parts – instead , they could be quickly fabricated in the aircraft hangar .
Shortly after claiming their prize at SME ’ s RAPID + TCT exhibition , the team was featured on a live broadcast of the YouTube channel for the 3D Printing Nerd . In that broadcast , project member and mechanical engineering senior Ben Nguyen talked to host Joel Telling about the team ’ s work .
“ Boeing came to us with a fleet sustainment problem ,” said Nguyen . “ They have a lot of older planes that need one-off replacement parts that can ’ t be manufactured using traditional means . It would take a lot of time and money for one part .”
Once optimized , the method could mean a savings of millions of dollars for Boeing and a huge step forward for the future of metal 3D printing .
WINNING WITH INDUSTRY
Braskem , a 3D printing filament company , developed a new 3D printing material and decided to put it to the test by placing it in the hands of students from four universities .
The 3D Dimensions Design Competition featured Virginia Tech , Carnegie Mellon , Cal Tech , and Penn State and brought instructors such as Williams and Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Michael Bortner into the conversation with young collegiate designers . Previously , Braskem had developed relationships with professors at these universities to gain insight into their 3D-printing programs and had identified the four target schools as having some of the best programs in the country .
The Braskem challenge was advertised campuswide , and students proposed designs for novel products in the categories of aerospace / transportation and mobility / medical . Williams created an interface for interested students to connect virtually and posted relevant content from his own 3D-printing course as guidance . He and Bortner also provided lab facilities for printing projects .
Braskem supplied students with the filament they needed and gave competitors a month and a half from registration to submit their ideas . The projects were judged based on creativity , benefits and applications , efficiency and design , and the quality of a final part . Both categories had a first- , second- , and third-place winner , for a total of six awards given by the company .
A total of 35 student projects were submitted from the four schools , 18 of which were selected to progress to the final judging round . At the end of the competition , Virginia Tech won every award .
“ One aspect that I love about Virginia Tech is that our students are always seeking new opportunities to get involved and to learn new skills ,” Williams said . “ I continue to be impressed by their commitment to this competition . Many were busy learning new software , and designing , printing , and testing their designs at the end of the spring 2022 semester in the face of many other important commitments . Their success is a testament to how diligent and talented excellent our students really are .”
First place in the aerospace / transportation category went to mechanical engineering major Matthew Stuart .
ANNUAL REPORT 2022
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