Students 'hammer down'

Part showcase, part recruitment event, the annual Rockwell Automation Fair gives manufacturing engineering technology students a chance to shine away from campus. Five manufacturing engineering technology 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. The students created a machine, nicknamed “Purdue Pete’s Hammer Forge,” that allowed users to customize a miniature hammer of their own. 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 by our booth to introduce them to us for providing possible future employees familiar with automation and controls associated with manufacturing,” he said. Video of the machine in action: