(Covington, L.A.) Students in the Project Lead the Way (PLTW) Introduction to Engineering class have recently completed their reverse engineering projects. The project entails dismantling an object, painstakingly measuring each part, and recreating each part in 3D modeling software.
“The hardest part is hands down all the measuring,” PLTW student Carter Duet said. “You have to be really precise because any mistake in measuring will ruin the whole assembly at the end.”
The point of the project is to give students a chance to flex their engineering muscles and use things they have learned all year. They have to measure, sketch, analyze and build, all in one big project.
“It is kinda like our final exam. Its broken into many parts and worth a ton of points. It really is the deciding factor for your second semester grade,” Duet added.
Objects chosen for the project range from paper towel stands to skateboards, and everything in between. Some of the best projects in the past, according to Intro to Engineering teacher Kristen Lagraize, have been Wii remotes, Nerf guns and other detailed projects.
Students are graded on the process of documenting and illustrating the components of their object and the accuracy of their 3D models. The whole project is worth a large portion of the allotted points for the quarter.
“The points make the whole project seem really intimidating and overbearing,” fellow student Sam Davidson said. “But if you don’t waste time and do your work, it goes by fast and is a lot of fun.”
Students were given five class periods to complete their reverse engineering projects.
(All photos by Ben Davidson)
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