Hytek Finishes

Airbeam Surface Coating Process Improvement

This student team will work to create an automatic or manually fed masking tape device for application of maskent to aerospace parts. These parts require multiple stage masking. The project would give mechanical engineering students a chance to apply their skills in the real world and assist a business in operating and lowering overhead costs. Students will also be designing and building something that outside vendors have avoided due to the unique nature of the project. This would help students to add an eye-catching project to their project portfolio that will help them to stand out in future job applications. The design would first and foremost need to meet specification and drawing requirements. The design would need to reduce application time and ergonomic fatigue on employees. This will need to be scalable for the length of the parts and accommodate two different part configurations with unique and complex geometry. At the end of this project the students should be able to provide a device or workstation that will support the masking for paint processing of airbeams. Additionally, a scalable or modular design is desired so Hytek can utilize this for the entire product family of airbeams. By designing for ergonomics, we expect a reduction of injuries and increase in employee satisfaction. This will also allow for consistent quality outcomes. By making this scalable, it will also allow Hytek to more easily source standard maskants.