Engineering Club: Build, Break, Repeat

Our Engineering Club is basically a maker lab, part design studio, part chaos workshop. We come in with ideas, sketch them out, and see how far we can get before something breaks (usually sooner than we think).

Project 1: 3D-Printed Gears

We designed gears in CAD, laser cut them, and tested how well they meshed under different loads. Some snapped, some jammed, but the best ones ran smooth — and taught us how small design changes make a huge difference.

Project 2: Arduino Playing Card Launcher

Prototypes:

The goal: build a motorized launcher that could spin and fire cards across the room. The reality: cards flying everywhere, except sometimes in the right direction. Still, getting the motor controls and timing right was a big win.

Project 3: Printer Autopsy

We took apart an old printer to figure out how its gears, rollers, and feed systems worked. Then we tried to replicate some of the mechanisms in CAD and rebuild them. Honestly, we learned more from breaking it than we ever could have from a manual.

What It’s Really About

Beyond the projects, Engineering Club taught me the importance of planning, prototyping, and iteration. Nothing works on the first try, and that’s the fun part. Working with teammates who bring different skills made every project more than the sum of its parts.