Week One

Hi, all!

Today marks the end of my first week interning with the SAE Baja team at ASU Polytech.  I've so far gone in four times, and I'm starting to get the lay of the land.  I've learned how to use a horizontal band saw, a lathe, a mill, and a coving saw.  I was told yesterday they will start teaching me how to weld on Tuesday.  I'll also be given a copy of the virtual modeling software, "SolidWorks," to train with and maybe eventually use with a CNC machine.  I was able to see one of the leads using the CNC, along with a SolidWorks program, so I already have a preliminary understanding of how it works.  Since it was just the first week, I haven't been able to do too much work on my own, so I've been watching how the rest of the team assembles certain parts of the car.  Yesterday, however, I finally got to make something for the actual build, one of the wheel-support arms.  Not much else has happened yet, but with the car needing to be finished by the beginning of March, the project will speed up significantly.  The team has stated many times that once I know how to use different machines and skills, I can practice them whenever I want, in lieu of a job for the car that I'm able to do.

Right now, that's all the interesting news, but I'll be certain to update this blog with every new development that presents itself.  Cheers!

~John Bannon