Local Students to Learn about High-Tech Manufacturing & 3D Printing at Robotics & Engineering Camp

TAMPA, Fla. - July 23, 2015 - PRLog -- High school students in the greater Tampa bay area are set to get a full serving of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, before heading back to school later this fall, at the robotics & engineering summer camp. The camp hosted by FLATE, the Florida-based, National Science Foundation Regional Center of Excellence at Hillsborough Community College in Brandon, will be held at the student services building at Hillsborough Community College in Brandon from July 27-31, and is set to give students a ‘hands-on, minds-on’ overview of complex, everyday high-tech operations that are used by manufacturers across the country.

Curriculum for the high school engineering & robotics camp is based on a fun concept whereby students will be tasked to help astronauts on a space mission. Working in groups of three, campers will 3D print parts for a robotic arm using Solidworks, Arduino microprocessors, servo motors and additive manufacturing techniques to design a functional robotic arm while gaining an understanding of the entrepreneurial process. They will learn how to program an Arduino microprocessor to operate servo motors, and troubleshoot the design to manufacture a prototype of a tool that could be used in space. Campers will also learn about the pros, cons and costs of using 3D printing in space and manufacturing custom tools to create a sustainable living environment in space.

Schedule for the robotics & engineering camp for high school students includes:

July 27: Overview of Advanced Manufacturing, SolidWorks and 3D          Printing in Space

July 28: Manufacturing process using Arduino, Servo motors & SolidWorks

July 29: Made in Florida Industry tour to Chromalloy Castings in Tampa

July 30: Assembling of the robotic arms. Video of finished product at http://youtu.be/px2rBJwcTqw



July 31: Final Student Presentations demonstrating robotic arm prototypes

With the support of Nuts, Bolts, and Thingamajigs^®(NBT), the Foundation for the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, the High School campers will take home the Arduino microprocessors and 3D printed projects that they manufacture during the camp. NBT seeks to inspire the next generation of manufacturers, innovators and entrepreneurs through its support of manufacturing camps. Through it all, campers gain an understanding about electronics and precision needed for building robots and learn entrepreneurial skills used by successful business owners in real-world settings.

For more information about the camps, contact Desh Bagley, outreach manager/camp director at camps@fl-ate.org and Dr. Marilyn Barger, executive director of FLATE at barger@fl-ate.org. Additional information about the camp are posted on FLATE’s camp website at www.fl-ate.org/projects/camps.html, and www.madeinflorida.org.

FLATE is a National Science Foundation Regional Center of Excellence, committed to ensuring Florida has a well prepared workforce for advanced and emerging technologies. Created in 2004, FLATE is one of 39 Advanced Technological Education Centers in the United States funded by the National Science Foundation focused on improving science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education and training to meet the needs of American advanced technology industries. For more information visit www.fl-ate.org.