Taylor’s Physics and Engineering Department to Host 80/20 Inc. Industrial Erector Set Competition

Taylor University’s Physics and Engineering Department will host its first annual 80/20 Inc. (Industrial Erector Set) building contest, demonstration, and ice cream social, on Tuesday, April 2, from 3–5 pm, in the Euler Science Complex.

Dr. Steven Dalcher, a faculty member in Taylor’s Department of Physics and Engineering, said the competition is open to all students and no experience is required.

Based in Columbia City, Indiana, 80/20 Inc. manufactures and sells aluminum component parts that can be fashioned into individual solutions for its customers. Officials from 80/20 Inc. will visit the Taylor campus that day for a product line demonstration and to co-host the competition. Dalcher said 80/20 will supply each team of 2-3 members with an 80/20 structural component kit.

Each team will race to complete their design in the allotted time, building from a picture. Awards will be presented to the three fastest/most correct teams.

• 1st place winners: Personalized plaques and four hours of rapid prototyping training and design with Dalcher. Included in the package are basics of the iterative design process. Basic instruction and assistance with simple design drawings in SolidWorks.
• 2nd place winners: Personalized plaques commemorating their performance.
• 3rd place winners: Personalized plaques commemorating their performance.