Kaitlyn Hines of Chant Engineering awarded AWRF scholarship

Kaitlyn Hines has been awarded the Bill Franz Memorial Scholarship from AWRF in 2022. Hines is a rising Junior at Rowan University majoring in mechanical engineering with an automotive CUGS and maths minor. While at Chant this Summer, Hines has learned to perform design improvements for refurbished pull test machines and how to perform dimensional analysis of customer test subjects to generate test stand design specifications for Chant manufactured test stands. She has also learned to design components for new pull test machines, hydraulic power units, written test subject tolerance reports and performed run-off testing of said test subjects.

When asked what she has enjoyed most about her time at Chant, Hines replied, “I have enjoyed learning and getting to see how engineering is done outside of the classroom. To me, the best part about Chant as an engineer is that we design the machine and it gets built in the next room. We are a part of the process every step of the way.”

She continued “ I am so happy to have had this opportunity to work at Chant this Summer. I have learned so much about SolidWorks, design considerations, tolerances, and how to calculate things like stress, strain, shear, and hole tear out. The most important thing that I have learned from Chant is how to approach a design. I have seen a significant change in how I go about designing a machine and how to make it efficient and easy to edit.”

During her internship Hines said she was most proud, “When I was given the opportunity to work on the refurbished machines Chant bought to redesign, I had a sense of accomplishment because I felt that it was a big step up from the smaller projects I had been working on. I had a sense of pride knowing that my name would be on the design the shop used to build the machine. The stereotype of intern work is a thing of the past at Chant. I got to be a part of meetings and client discussions as well as design machines which was an incredible experience.

“My next step is to continue my education and see how I will apply all I learned from Chant at school. I can already see a difference in my knowledge of SolidWorks and the way I approach the design process. I would like to thank Chant Engineering for all they have done for me – especially Mason Chant and Anthony Conner for taking the time to thoroughly explain anything and everything.”