A group of Greene County students have created a 3-D model for the St. Louis manufacturing company MKT.
Kevin Fraser, a Vocational and Technology teacher at North Greene High School and advisory board member at Lewis and Clark Community College, accepted the task of creating a 3-D model more than a month ago.
North Greene’s advanced student drafting department, consisting of Peyton Tucker, Molly Haskell, Hunter Clanton and Zach Sullivan, was assigned to create a piece of pile-driving equipment, used to build or support bridges.
Fraser says MKT, known as one of the top pile-driving manufacturers in the world, “loved” the prototype the students presented earlier this month.
“They gave us some drawings and we had to redraw everything. Part of the pieces we built were accessories and they wanted those accessories to come on and off the model. They are going to take this to trade shows all over the world and send it with their salesmen,” notes Fraser.
The original model took three weeks to create and only cost the school $20. Fraser was impressed with the amount of detail his students put into the project.
“The hydraulic cylinders work and go in, out, up and down. We can show how you can turn the excavator turns one way and picks up a pile. It was amazing the way it all came together,” says Fraser.
Fraser hopes the partnership with MKT blossoms into future projects for North Greene students.
“They have been inconstant contact with the Vice President of Manufacturing at MKT, seeing what they need and what can be improved. I’m hoping this will spark some interest for other companies needing work like this.”
The students are in the process of building a pair of stands and two additional pieces of equipment for the 3-D model.