Clemson Grad Wins $100,000
05.21.2014
Recent Clemson University graduate Valerie Pezzullo, 24, won first place and $100,000 in the MTConnect Challenge 2. Her winning entry is a manufacturing software application that detects chatter in CNC machines so corrections can be made before parts are damaged. Named “Machining Process Monitoring to Aid in Chatter Identification,” the application is designed to help manufacturers that make highly precise parts for a variety of industries, ranging from automotive to aerospace. In particular, this could have a significant impact on manufacturers that use expensive materials. “As a student, it was exciting to go through the design and see it through to the final product,” said Pezzullo. She plans to use the money to pay off her student loans and establish a scholarship for female engineering students.
Chatter Identification Prevents Bad Parts
The application gathers data from sensors and gives operators the information they need to reduce or suppress vibrations during machine operations. She did her research at the Clemson University-International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) working on Okuma CNC machines. Brian Sides, Okuma America’s director of technology, said eliminating chatter in the machining process is vitally important. “If you have chatter, you’re likely going to have a bad part,” he said. “Engineers can come in later to see what went wrong, but they don’t always know all the conditions at play when it happened.”
MTConnect Challenge 2
Pezzullo’s application was designed to integrate with the MTConnect standard piloted by the nonprofit Association for Manufacturing Technology. The Challenge 2 contest that Pezzullo won called on participants to develop innovative and unique software applications using the MTConnect standard. The contest was sponsored by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Defense-wide Manufacturing Science and Technology (DMS&T), AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and the U.S. Army Benét Labs.
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