ME163*

In ME103 you build a “high-fidelity product or object… with the PRL’s manufacturing resources.” I knew from the outset that I wanted to make something a bit humorous but that I would actually use in my day-to-day life. So in the funky spirit of co-opting projects to do things I want to do anyways, I set out to learn something of what I’m missing out on now that ME263 is no more. Ultimately, I built a beautiful piece of furniture: an artistic, layered stool with three angled aluminum legs, six statues “struggling” to hold up your weight, and dark walnut detailing throughout. While the stool may seem simple, there is a surprising amount of complexity hidden beneath the surface. Most of those challenges have something to do with scale: there are 49 drilled holes, 27 screws, 18 tapped holes, and 9 threaded inserts in the body. The structure is 14 inches across and 24 inches tall—near the limits of how large you can make something in the PRL, and in many ways well over them, meaning I had…