Four undergraduate students in University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee\u2019s College of Engineering & Applied Science are helping to pave the way for ventilator production at Foxconn\u2019s Mount Pleasant facility.<\/p>\n
Foxconn announced in April that it was partnering with Medtronic to produce a portable version of the life-supporting medical devices that can ease respiratory distress in COVID-19 patients. According to USA Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is paying nine companies, including Medtronic, $2.9 billion to produce or acquire more than 187,000 ventilators by year\u2019s end to ensure that the country is prepared for a fall resurgence of the virus.<\/p>\n
The 51ÁÔÆæ students \u2013 Tim Dachelet, David Charapata, Brett Fong and Benjamin Stamates \u2014 were slated to spend the spring semester in Taiwan, along with seven other 51ÁÔÆæ engineering students, as part of an engineering co-op among 51ÁÔÆæ, Foxconn and Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan. Fong and Dachelet are majoring in mechanical engineering; Stamates is majoring in computer science; and Charapata is majoring in biomedical engineering.<\/p>\n
That internship had just begun, although the students had not yet left for Taiwan, when the Wisconsin Department of Health Services issued a Safer at Home order to help minimize the spread of COVID-19. At that point, all the students were sent home from Foxconn\u2019s plant to work remotely.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got called back in to work on the ventilator production project,\u201d Fong said. \u201cI didn\u2019t expect to be dropped into something this important, but I\u2019m glad I was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stamates agrees. \u201cIt was disappointing that we weren\u2019t able to go to Taiwan, but gaining work experience with a company like Foxconn has been a huge boon,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been stressful and there has been a ton of work on our plates \u2013 challenges and hurdles to overcome. But it’s been incredibly rewarding to know my work will actually have an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students are working in areas including equipment procurement, item calibration, assembly line construction, and software engineering and testing, according to Robert Chou, program supervisor for Foxconn Skunkwork.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are helping to accelerate a process that demands great attention to detail,\u201d Chou said.\u00a0 \u201cThe normal set-up time for a project like this runs 12 to 18 months. Now we are doing it in record time, and I give the students a lot of credit for this. They have performed like an A team, taking \u2018mission impossible\u2019 and making it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dachelet, who works as a process engineer on the ventilator project, says he\u2019s enjoyed being exposed to a rapid implementation process that includes designing an assembly line, developing operating procedures, ordering equipment, assembling and testing station setups to be used for production, and completing all necessary paperwork.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re pushing, pushing, pushing every day,\u201d he said. \u201cThe teamwork is incredible.\u201d<\/p>\n
The four students have also been trained in the procedures and regulations of good manufacturing practices, production part approval process, and gage calibrations for the software.<\/p>\n
The students agree that they\u2019ve gained respect for the mandates and documentation required in the production of medical equipment and supplies. And that the unexpected fork in their road has delivered them into a rare and rewarding learning experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been incredibly interesting,\u201d Charapata said, \u201cand I learned so much about what goes into building a project from the ground up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Foxconn is abiding by Gov. Tony Evers\u2019 emergency orders and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention prevention guidelines, the company said. Certain employees are working from home, while assembly employees undergo safety protocols including body temperature screenings upon entry to any Foxconn facility, routine handwashing and compliance with recommended guidelines for the use of personal protective equipment.<\/p>\n
Last year, 10 students from 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s College of Engineering & Applied Science participated in the\u00a0co-op program \u2014 which is Foxconn\u2019s first in Wisconsin. They studied at Chung Yuan Christian University and worked at a Foxconn facility in Taiwan. This year, 11 co-op students are taking part in the program, although due to the COVID-19 virus, none traveled to Taiwan. Of these, four joined the Wisconsin-based ventilator project while seven\u00a0are working on a variety of engineering projects for the Mount Pleasant facility.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The coronavirus pandemic scotched the opportunity for several engineering students to travel to Taiwan for an internship, but now four of them are helping with a project to help battle the disease. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40008,"featured_media":83228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","uwm_wg_additional_authors":[]},"categories":[174],"tags":[],"section":[141,139],"display_categories":[115,116],"related-coverage":[260,323],"uwmnews-feed":[149],"class_list":["post-83227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","section-engineering","section-science-technology","display_categories-top-story-secondary","display_categories-top-story-section","related-coverage-community-engagement","related-coverage-coronavirus","uwmnews-feed-engineering-applied-science"],"yoast_head":"\n