Wildest winners

CNC Software Inc., manufacturer of Mastercam CNC software, conducts a Wildest Parts Competition to encourage student interest and participation in manufacturing. Open to students across the globe at secondary and post-secondary levels, and professionals, entrants are invited to create parts that demonstrate their creativity and technical skills using Mastercam programs.

Usually an annual event, the most recent competition combined entries from 2020 and 2021 due to Covid concerns.

“This year we received over 20 entries, which was amazing considering Covid and how challenging it must have been for students and teachers who might not have had access to the machine shop during this time. We were very impressed by the quantity and quality of parts we received,” says company spokesperson Michelle Nemeth.

The contest recognized the top three in four divisions: Secondary, Post-Secondary, Teams, and Professional.

Wes Bruski, a student at Capital High School in Helena, Mont., won Secondary with a domino and dice cup game set. Bruski made the prototypes out of wood then machined the final set.

Gus Bronk, representing Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., won Post-Secondary for a keyboard, machined from a Boeing Surplus forged billet of 2000 series aluminum from the 1970s.

Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College won Teams with a replica of Thor’s Hammer.

Andy Beach, a professor at Grand Rapids Community College, won the Professional division for a metal bust of Ironman, created to test the school’s new Haas UMC-500 five-axis mill.

“We always look forward to seeing all the entries we receive for Wildest Parts,” Peter Mancini, education product manager at Mastercam, added in a statement. “There are so many talented and dedicated teachers, and the quality and originality of their students work with Mastercam is inspiring.”

For contest details, including more photos of winning entries, visit mastercam.com.

This article was originally published in the February 2022 issue.