Sandvik Contributes To University Lab Development

Sandvik Coromant recently collaborated with Purdue University’s School of Engineering Education to supply tooling solutions and services for the school’s Ideas to Innovation (I2I) Learning Laboratory. The lab, which doubles as a Haas Technical Education Center, will provide nearly 1,700 first-year engineering students with hands-on design experience.

The collaboration between Sandvik and Purdue was established in mid 2008. The cutting tool manufacturer worked with the university’s faculty and staff, Haas Automation and Quality Mill Supply, an Indiana-based industrial distributor, to both tool the laboratory and to develop curriculum-based training solutions. As part of its collaboration with Sandvik, the school will receive ongoing technical support, printed training aids, tooling software and live, in-class presentations from Sandvik productivity engineers. Faculty and staff will also receive complimentary training at Sandvik technology seminars.

The laboratory features seven studios that help students identify design criteria before developing and planning solutions. After the planning stage, students can build, test and refine prototypes using various machine tools. The lab also includes a 120-student classroom, 3D rapid prototyping printers and a Microsoft Surface interactive, multi-touch table.