Gannon University
10/30/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/30/2023 15:23
Gannon University and NFI Empire Restore 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster with 3D-printing
Gannon University and NFI Empire Restore 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster with 3D-printing
Published: 10/30/2023
Institute for Health and Cyber Knowledge (I-HACK )
Gannon University and NFI Empire in North East, Pa. collaborated to create custom 3D-printed and machined parts to restore a 1932 Ford Highboy Roadster.
The roadster was restored by NFI in just 30 days with the intent to be sold at an auction at country star Luke Bryan's estate to raise funds for the Brett Boyer Foundation, which supports advancements in coronary heart disease treatments. The car was a major item at the private auction last weekend and sold for $366,000. The team at NFI approached Gannon during the restoration process when they needed custom, quality parts designed specifically for the project.
Students and staff in Gannon's new MakerSpace in I-HACK used the facility's high-tech equipment like the metal and nylon 3D printers to engineer replica parts for the antique car. The parts they designed included a custom metal-printed gear shifter, hood ornament, horn button and a name plate for the car. Students engraved the Foundation's logo on the parts using a stainless steel powder that creates a high-resolution design and makes the parts one-of-a-kind to this Ford classic.
Nick Devine, Gannon design and fabrication engineer, shared, "This whole project was completed by our students. We had mechanical, industrial, electrical and cybersecurity engineer majors working on the design and manufacturing of these parts. Staff oversaw the work and safety of the project, but they are the ones that really led the initiative on the design and producing the parts."
Justin Fried, CEO of NFI Empire, said 3D printing parts to restore a car is a first for NFI Empire and for Gannon.
"Hopefully it brings a lot of interest about the abilities of 3D printing and the things we could be doing, especially because Erie was a manufacturing town years ago. We might have moved away from that, but this is a new level of technology that could bring us into something again," Fried said.
To view more on this story, visit:
https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/49915696/gannon-helps-restore-1932-ford-with-3dprinted-parts