This academic year, a class of fourth year undergraduate mechanical engineering students from the University of Virginia (UVa) that I have been mentoring, has been studying and implementing ways to increase the production of the OESH cantilevers. They have been designing and building lots of good things for the OESH factory, like hydraulic lifts and resin catchers. It is a blast working with this talented group and I’m pretty sure I’m learning as much from them as they are from me.
They ended this first semester by re-arranging some of the equipment to streamline production flow. The moving was a two-day project that involved a little braun, as well as, brains.
They started by moving the post-cure oven, on the far right, into its new position. The press ovens, which they also moved, are still in their original positions on the left. The resin tanks, in the foreground, were moved as well.
They moved the filament winder so that it is in line with the press ovens. This will allow for smoother movement of the carbon fiber from the winder to the ovens. (Kind of like optimizing the work triangle between the kitchen sink, the refrigerator and the stove). All the meanwhile, we were still assembling OESH shoes (note the open boxes on the right).
Marcia (as in Marcia, Marcia, Marcia of the Brady Bunch), our three-year-old Newfoundland dog, who has become the regular factory mascot, wasn’t much help. The students dressed her up in a couple pairs of OESH Lizards.
Almost done! Some of the students pose in front of the newly moved and bolted down, press ovens. Note that Grace, second from the right, has the biggest smile… she’s been living in her OESH 24/7. The others are doing their darnedest to get the factory ready to make all the bigger men’s sizes of OESH, which should happen within the next calendar year.
