The Vaughn College Engineering and Technology department hosted its sixth annual Manufacturing Day conference on Friday, October 30. The conference focused on the advances in the engineering and technology industries and showcased the opportunities for manufacturers to highlight their work while raising awareness about the advantages of pursuing a career in manufacturing.

Six speakers addressed the Vaughn community about innovation in the areas of industry 4.0, industry production, drone manufacturing and ISO standard, digital and additive manufacturing and aerospace innovation in additive manufacturing. 

The professional speakers included Mohammad Ehteshami, president and chief executive officer at EEC; Tony Oran, vice president of sales and marketing at Festo Didactic; Peter Kalaitzidis, Vaughn alum and evaluation team leader engineer at Easy Aerial; Prashanth Mysore, director of global strategic business development and industry marketing at Dassault Systèmes; Alex Devon, additive manufacturing engineer at Proto Labs and Manuel Jesus, Vaughn engineering and technology professor. 

After an introduction from President Dr. Sharon B. DeVivo, Ehteshami launched the virtual conference by presenting the core elements of additive manufacturing and the journey to production. Manuel Jesus concluded the conference with his presentation on additive manufacturing with low-cost consumer grade 3D printers. 

In addition to the ongoing conference, the unmanned aerial vehicle and robotics clubs hosted virtual workshops on design and autonomous programming. The workshops introduced participants to how drones are built and the entire manufacturing process. Furthermore, the robotics club instructed participants on the structural design process for the creation of a robot that would be able to perform quickly and accurately during a competition.