A project that saw engineering students produce aluminum plaques with the Lancer logo helped them to understand the link between design and manufacturing, says their professor.

Jill Urbanic teaches the third-year course in Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM). For most students, it is their first experience with the process, which uses software to generate instructions for automated machining.

“It’s one thing for me to stand at the front of the class talking, but this project helps the students migrate from theory to practice,” says Dr. Urbanic. “When they start designing and making something, it’s really an immersive experience to apply what they have learned.”

Each student created an 8x8 centimetre design incorporating the Lancer “W” shield. The resulting files programmed computer numerical control (CNC) machines in the Centre for Engineering Innovation, tooling blocks of aluminum to produce the finished plaques.

Abdullah Felemban says the project showed him the skills necessary to succeed in his chosen profession.

“This course gives us the concept of how we can design anything,” he says. “It walked us through the steps from sketching to CAD to the CNC machine.”