Rochester Institute of Technology
ISSUE 3 | Spring 2016
Message from the Chair Dr. S. Manian Ramkumar
Thank you for taking time to read the MMET Department’s
newsletter. I hope you find the information useful. Our primary
objective is to keep you updated on the happenings within the
department. We are proud to be able to reach out to you, through
this medium and keep you abreast of what is happening at your
alma mater.
The MMET Department’s unique curriculum continues to support
applied engineering education to include automated manufacturing,
mechanical design and analysis, electrical and mechanical systems
integration, product life cycle engineering and management, and
conventional and alternative energy systems development. Our
dedicated faculty and state-of-the-art laboratories continue to
support the experiential learning environment for our students.
Preparations are in full swing for the ABET accreditation visit in
October of 2016.
Since the last time we communicated with you, the department has
successfully established a state-of-the-art Metrology laboratory
with a generous donation from QVI. We are currently in the early
stages of developing an Electromechanical Systems Laboratory in
partnership with different companies. Stay tuned for more exciting
news regarding this development.
Faculty Spotlight
Announcements &
Upcoming Events
• Imagine RIT
May 7th, 10am - 5pm
Free Event - Rain or Shine
• Commencement
Ceremonies
May 20-21st, 2016
• SAE Baja World Challenge
June 9th - 12th
• Quality Vision International
(QVI) recently donated
three optical contact and
laser measuring systems to
the MMET Department to
establish a new Metrology
Laboratory. Students will use
the systems to measure parts
they design and fabricate
in courses on CAD design,
geometric dimensioning and
tolerancing (GD&T), CNC
machining, and 3D printing.
Dr. Martin K. Anselm joined the Manufacturing, Mechanical, and
Electrical Mechanical Technology Department at RIT in 2014.
His current research interests are in low temperature electronic
assembly manufacturing and solder joint mechanical robustness.
The scale of electronics manufacturing can be hard to fathom. If
you only consider the smart phone market, hundreds of thousands
of phones are sold each month, with peaks in sales
reaching millions per day if a new product is launched. Very few people consider the difficulties in
manufacturing a single electronic device let alone ensuring quality of the product if you are assembling
millions of units in a month. Dr. Anselm’s work in manufacturing and solder reliability provides the
electronics manufacturing industry (smart phones included) with valuable data on best manufacturing
practices.
In the cross-sectional optical image shown, two low
melting point solders were joined using a modified thermal
process developed by Dr. Anselm. The microstructure
of the resulting solder joint is analyzed and compared
to identical samples sheared until fracture. The intent
of the microstructural analysis is to determine the root
cause for various fracture mechanisms and eliminate
those microstructural conditions by modifying the
manufacturing process. Ultimately an optimal process can
be recommended that will provide the electronics industry with solder joint properties that will result
in the greatest yield through manufacturing. Thereby delivering on their million unit per month
objectives!
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ISSUE 3 | Spring 2016
Student Club Spotlight - Clean Snowmobile
Jason Ganje
The SAE International Clean Snowmobile Challenge (CSC) is a
weeklong engineering design competition in Houghton, MI for
college and university student members that challenges engineering
students to re-engineer an existing snowmobile to reduce emissions
and noise. These modified snowmobiles will compete in a variety
of events including emissions, noise, fuel economy/endurance,
acceleration, handling, static display, cold start and design. The
intent of the competition is to develop a snowmobile that is
acceptable for use in environmentally sensitive areas such as our
national parks.
This year at the 2016 CSC, the RIT Clean Snowmobile Team was faced with many challenges, including turbo
malfunctions. This caused us to run our engine naturally aspirated. But against the odds, we were able to successfully
compete in every event. We finished 10th overall in the internal combustion class, and we received first place in lab
emission. The team also received a new emission analyzer (thanks to Horiba) and a lambda meter from NTK for a
successful cold start. Our success at this year’s competition is a direct reflection on the direction of the team and of how
companies in the industry believe in what we are pushing for. The team looks to continue this success next year and to
carry out it’s goal of showing people that RIT is striving for a cleaner and greener tomorrow.
MMET Students Devise Tool to Catch Asteroids Michelle
Cometa
ORCHID team, from left, students Jacob Shawley, Scott Bell,
Drew Walter, Daniel Vasconcellos, adviser Mark Olles, students
David Simpson and Christian
Pape.
Elizabeth Torgerson-Lamark
ORCHID is a device being built by six mechanical engineering technology students to catch an asteroid.
Daniel Vasconcellos and his team moved into the final round of a NASA-sponsored collegiate design challenge called
Micro-g NExT, part of its Asteroid Redirect Mission. ORCHID, their prototype ‘grabber’ is intended to retrieve samples
of asteroids, to draw them in for closer study or divert one’s direction to avoid a collision with Earth.
All the work was done outside of class last fall, but drew upon what they were learning about contributing to new product
design and manufacturing teams once in the workplace. A combination long-reach grabber and specimen container, ORCHID was praised by NASA engineers for its durable gripping capabilities, cost-effective manufacturing plan and simple
design.
“Have you seen one of those devices you use to grab something out of your reach? That was what we used as a base. And
another product we modeled our project on was a head scratcher,” Vasconcellos said.
Using rapid prototyping, the students made precision parts for the central trigger, handle, and internal mechanisms. Other
improvements include stronger metal, spring-retractable “fingers” to acquire and remove specimens, and airtight containers to hold asteroid samples and reduce cross contamination.
“It’s simplicity,” said Vasconcellos, a fourth-year mechanical engineering technology major from Rochester, N.Y.
cont. on page 3
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ISSUE 3 | Spring 2016
Mark Olles, assistant professor in the manufacturing and mechanical engineering technology (MMET) program and academic adviser to the team, agreed.
“They kept it simple, focused
on the function. It is not so
much about it being cool; it is
about serving its purpose. As
an engineer, it’s always function first. ”
Teams were also required to have a manufacturing plan. RIT’s stood out.
“What set ours apart from the others was we decided to do most of the manufacturing
in-house because we have access to the labs and tools that we can use to make the
most of the device,” said Vasconcellos. Parts were made in CAST’s new Metrology
Laboratory and Machine Shop.
During spring semester, they’ve refined their prototype for the final competition in late
May at Johnson Space Center in Houston. Divers from NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy
Laboratory, a 6.2 million-gallon under-water facility used to simulate a zero-gravity
environment, will test the tool. The MMET students will direct divers from the test
control room at the facility.
NASA is developing a robotic mission to visit a large, near-Earth asteroid, collect a
multi-ton boulder, and deflect it towards Earth’s moon for further study. The organization is also looking to students to develop tools for this work.
“If what we do gets chosen, this is something that can actually be used on a mission,
and that is just fantastic,“ Vasconcellos said.
Welcome to the Department
Join us in extending a warm welcome to Yanelys Alvarado, our newest staff assistant. She joined the department in January, and we are
so pleased to have her on the team! Already, she has proven to be an
invaluable asset, with her welcoming personality, student-centeredness, and willingness to learn quickly.
After immigrating to the United States from Venezuela, Yanelys has
had several part-time jobs, but working at RIT is her first full-time
position. She considers this to be a prime opportunity to continue
mastering the people and organizational skills she brings from her
previous industrial experience in human resources development.
Co-op Opportunities
We still have many engineering
students looking for a co-op
this summer or summer/
fall. They are available in
all disciplines. For more
information, contact Sarah
Burke (Program Coordinator
for Career Services) at 585-4757887 or [email protected].
Adjunct Opportunities
Our department is seeking
qualified candidates to teach
manufacturing and mechanical
courses. Join our MMET
Department team and help
educate future engineers.
Contact Yanelys Alvarado
([email protected]) to submit
your resume.
Services Provided
Our department is currently
offering research services,
failure analysis, training,
process development,
consulting, and labortory rental
to the electronics packaging
industry. If interested, please
contact Stephanie Chapman at
585-475-6174 or srcmet@rit.
edu.
Connect with us
For Linkedin users, you can
find our department’s page
by searching with our group
name: RIT - Manufacturing,
Mechanical, Electrical
Mechanical Engineering
Technology group
Outside of her time here in the MMET Department, Yanelys enjoys
pleasing family and friends with delightful baked goods, such as the
“creamy flan” (a hispanic dessert that resembles custard), which is
one of her personal favorites. She says her flan is able to brighten
anybody’s day, and in turn, that’s what brightens her day.
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