The Vaughn College Engineering and Technology department hosted its fourth annual Manufacturing Day conference on Friday, October 19 to celebrate the nation’s recognition of an industry critical to the US economy. This year five speakers addressed the Vaughn community about manufacturing innovation in the areas of additive manufacturing, composite, 3D printing, CNC machining and the process of manufacturing.

The professional speakers and their topics included Richard Brown ’94, chief engineer at Lockheed Martin (Sikorsky Aircraft) on the evolution of Sikorsky rotor craft development; Sari Alyson Gerb, academic ambassador of Dassault Systèmes speaking on designing heat tiles for space shuttle; Marvin Blackman ’11, the industrial software specialist at GE Power spoke about manufacturing with a twist, a big data twist; Manuel Jesus, engineering and technology professor discussed computer graphic modeling and additive manufacturing and Dr. Yougashwar Budhoo ’95, engineering and technology professor addressed damage evaluation in composite materials.

Brown opened the morning session with a discussion of prospects for the future of the aerospace industry and how advancements in composite and additive manufacturing is revolutionizing the aviation industry while Dr. Budhoo addressed the development of laboratory equipment in the field and covered nondestructive laboratory equipment that can be used to detect flaws and imperfections in composite structures.

There was also a hands-on component to the day with Vaughn’s unmanned aerial vehicle and robotics clubs hosting workshops on robotics design and autonomous programing for the 2018 VEX U Robotics competitions. Participants were also able to fly their drones in the Vaughn hangar flying arena.

“We are always thrilled when industry professionals come to Vaughn to impart their knowledge to our students and give them insight into career opportunities post-graduation,” said Dr. Hossein Rahemi, chair of the engineering and technology department.

Marvin Blackman ‘11 presents to a crowd of attendees.