Down in the sprawling basement of McLaughlin Hall is a young inventor’s dream. From one wall to the other are 3D printers, laser cutters, milling machines, welding stations, drill presses, and beyond. “We like to keep up with the Joneses,” says Machine Shop Supervisor Andy Bryson on a recent tour. “If something comes out in the industry, I like to get it incorporated.”
This is ground zero for the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, and usually it’s engineering students who are drilling, milling, turning, welding, and cutting here. During the school year, this place is “just abuzz,” says Mr. Bryson, who is one of five full-time staff members. “Once students find out that they shouldn’t be afraid to ask anything, we can’t get rid of them!”
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The Baja SAE team designs and builds a single-rider off-road vehicle every year.
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Machine Shop Supervisor Andy Bryson
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Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department Head and Professor, Keith Pilkey
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Working at speeds of 1,200 inches per minute, the Laguna CBX fibre laser cutting system cuts of up to half-inch-thick mild steel.
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The Churchill surface grinder uses a spinning grinding wheel to produce a smooth finish on metallic surfaces.
Most of those students get introduced to the shop in MECH 212, a class that covers the basics of what’s here and how to use it safely. It’s the “hallmark experience” for students, says Mechanical and Materials Engineering Department Head and Professor Keith Pilkey. It also fits right in with the type of problem-based experiential learning at the heart of how engineering is being reimagined at Queen’s, he adds.
Some students apply their MECH 212 learnings to one of the 18 student design teams at Queen’s, like Baja SAE. Using many of the tools and technologies in the shop, the Baja SAE team designs and builds a single-rider off-road vehicle from the ground up every year. When they’re done, they haul it to competitions in Canada and the United States and take it out for a rip against over 150 teams from around the world.
Cleo Lazar, Sc’23, the 2023–24 co-captain of the Queen’s Baja SAE team, says the team and the shop were huge for developing many of the technical and communication skills she is now using as a mechanical designer. “It was such a great environment for really motivating you to do the best work you can,” she says. “For someone who really likes hands-on work, the shop really is the best place to be.”
