Sunday, February 13, 2000
Machine aids UC designers
Students learn on same tool used by Detroit
BY MARIE McCAIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Industrial design students at the University of Cincinnati are becoming experts in one of the most fundamental principles of automotive design: Aesthetics.
It's no surprise considering that if a car doesn't look good, nobody will buy it.
And to ensure their designs are the most visually pleasing, the students are using a machine that allows them to take their two-dimensional concepts and turn them into three-dimensional realities.
Donated November 1999 through a joint effort of the General Motors Design Center, General Motors Corp. and Tarus Products, the $750,000 five-axis milling machine can turn a computer-generated drawing into a physical, scale model in a matter of hours.
It's a process that once took days.
Though it isn't the first milling machine, the technology is at the forefront of the automotive design industry. It utilizes a drilling arm that can move in five directions, a feat that outmaneuvers previous machines whose parts allowed only for three-way movement.
University officials say the technology helps to make these future UC grads more marketable by giving them a leg-up on their competition since UC is the only school in the country with such a tool.
“We're cutting edge,” said UC associate professor of design Gerald Michaud, who teaches a 10-week course on automotive design using the new technology.
Students spend about five weeks developing various models before finally bringing their creations to fruition in either foam or clay.
“This technology helps to enhance our curriculum,” said professor Dennis M. Puhalla, director of UC's School of Design. “We are pressed for time just like the industry,” he said, adding that the speed of the machine allows students to tweak their designs during the model production.
The American automotive design industry lagged for a while when many consumers began to purchase Japanese-made vehicles.
“To sell cars, the look is important,” said Jay Chatterjee, dean of the College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. “In some cases, the look of the car is more important than the mechanics.”
Students in this semester's session are redesigning either a concept car, the Dodge Copperhead, or the Plymouth Prowler.
The Prowler is a two-door, two-passenger roadster introduced to the public in 1993 and mass-produced in 1997. The convertible has a vintage hot rod look, stemming from its prominent front bumper, with a modern-styled body.
The Copperhead is also a two-
door, two-passenger roadster that has a wide body with an elongated front section that tapers to the front bumper.
It's this tapering effect that Suzanna Bachman of Colerain Township doesn't care for.
“I like the profile very much, but I don't like the look of the headlights,” she said.
In her third year, the 21-year-old Ms. Bachman said she'd always been interested in car design and picked UC because it has one of the best programs for auto design in the country.
She was excited at the possibility of making her designs real.
“It's amazing to see your ideas come to life,” agreed Jill Vaias of Delhi Township.
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