The inaugural competition at HOUSTEX was a result of a NAMRI member Dr. Wayne Hung who encouraged his students to participate in the Digital Manufacturing Challenge in 2018. Dr. Wayne Hung’s student was recognized at 2018 RAPID + TCT taking 2nd place. Dr. Wayne Hung is a long time NAMRI member, SME student faculty lead and SME member.
Suzy Marzano, Product Development Manager with SME and Dr. Hung brainstormed to create a regional competition for SME’s HOUSTEX event. Marzano and Hung collaborated to create a competition that would be interesting, unique, and appeal to students and HOUSTEX attendees. The concept was also intended to provide an experiential learning experience for students, exposing students to manufacturing using 3D/Additive Manufacturing principles.
Competition by the numbers:
- Schools Competed: 11 (2 high schools + 9 universities)
- Teams Competed: 12
- Attendees: 45
- Judges: 3 (Emilia Parada, Marilyn Taggi Cisar, Sarhan Musa)
- Faculty/Educators: 6
First Place Team
Texas A&M University (Doyle)
Project: Ecofriendly project
Prize: $500 + 3D Printer + Award Plaque
Team Members: Amla Patil, Shyam Sundar Balasubramanian, Kenneth Doyle, Kara Laughbaum, Wayne Hung (Faculty)
Second Place Team
Texas A&M University (Valencia)
Project: The HAND-E Stand
Prize: 3D Printer + Award Plaque
Team Members: Nicholas Valencia, Andrew Russell, Zach Norwood, Wayne Hung (Faculty)
Third Place Team
Purdue University Northwest
Project: PRIME: Phone-Holder, Recyclable, Innovative, Multi-Functional, Eco-Friendly
Prize: $200 + Award Plaque
Team Members: Daniel Cubillos, Jered Daniels, Daksh Patel, Noel Goveas, David McLees, Magesh Chandramouli (Faculty)
Most Creative Team
University of Pittsburgh
Project: Direct Bonded Fiber Modeling
Prize: $200 + Award Plaque
Team Members: Jonathan Holman, Tanner Badoud, Serdar Tumkor (Faculty)
Youngest Team
Davis High School
Project: Powder Bed Fusion
Prize: $200 + Award Plaque
Team Members: Ryan Phan, Jeremiah Allen, Long Le, Ashley Monterroso, Jose Vasque, Alfonse Hubbard (Faculty)
