Mountain Precision Tool donates machinery to the Ware Lab
Mountain Precision Tool, of Blacksburg, Va., has donated a Hurco BMC-20 Vertical Machining Center valued at $10,250 to the Ware Lab at Virginia Tech. The machine was presented to representatives of the Ware Lab by Steven Drumheller (ME, 1975), president of Mountain Precision Tool.
“We at Mountain Precision Tool are pleased to be in a position to support the Virginia Tech College of Engineering by providing a useful teaching aid in a segment of technology that is important to industry. My hope is that this machining center will provide years of service and educational opportunity to engineering students at Virginia Tech,” Drumheller said.
The donated CNC Vertical Machining Center will assist the students in multiple ways. First, it should be a very useful tool for students in manufacturing high-quality components for their projects in a timely fashion. Second, and more importantly, it will provide students with a modern manufacturing tool that will allow them to learn more about manufacturing processes used in industry today.
Mountain Precision Tool specializes in custom machine works and precision tool parts for the electronics, aerospace, and fiber optics industries. For more information about the company, go to the Mountain Precision Tool website.
“I have visited many university campuses throughout the U.S. over the past 20 years, and I have not seen any school that has provided students with such a well-equipped and focused facility for working on so many varied projects, “ Drumheller said. The Ware Lab provides Virginia Tech engineering students with opportunities to gain in-depth hands-on experience to complement the classroom knowledge that they attain in day-to-day coursework.
Current student design projects underway in the Ware Lab include: Formula SAE®, SAE Mini Baja®, Autonomous Ground Vehicle, Autonomous Fixed- and Rotary-Wing Vehicles, Human-Powered Submarine, Hybrid Electric Vehicle (Challenge X), Fuel Cell Team, Steel Bridge Team, Solar Decathlon, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle Team, Blind Driver Challenge, Human Powered Aircraft, Design Build Fly, and the Urban Challenge Team.
The Ware Lab has been in operation since 1998 and has provided a unique learning environment for engineering students from various departments. There are currently 500 students involved in various projects in the lab, earning credit hours or on a volunteer basis. The Ware Lab has become one of the primary tour stops on campus for visitors, whether they are scientists, engineers, company recruiters, politicians, or prospective students and parents. For more information about the Ware Lab, or to arrange a tour, visit the Ware Lab website.
