A West Virginia University engineering technology team earned first place at the Project MFG Additive Manufacturing Competition hosted by the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources on April 1, according to a press release from the Statler College.
The event challenged student teams to navigate design, production, slicing, post-processing and assembly under realistic constraints.
The WVU ETEC team of Seth Massey, Cole Newland, Heath Rye and Kinsey Momeyer took first place. Wyoming County Board of Education finished second and Preston High School placed third. All three teams advance to the National Championship in Austin, Texas, with Project MFG covering travel costs.
“The team dynamic’s definitely there … working with people who are focused and ready to get things done,” Momeyer said.
“WVU has been phenomenal … The level of talent here is about what we’d expect compared to other competitions,” said Brent Griffith, additive manufacturing expert for Project MFG.
Kelsey Crawford, an engineering technology instructor, emphasized the importance of the competition. “Manufacturing is facing a growing shortage of skilled workers … These opportunities are critical,” Crawford said.
The competition brought together students and teams from across West Virginia for the hands-on manufacturing challenge.
