After my time at Cal Poly Racing using resin infusion for key components of the cars, I decided to find the solutions to common problems the composites team had on my own time. During Spring 2019, I collaborated with Dr. Kaveh Kabir (a professor in the AERO department) and another peer to create our own resin infusion system. The goal of this project was to create a system using industry products that was cheaper than pre-assembled resin kits, mobile and unique to Cal Poly students' specific needs. This system would also be readily available to student projects at Cal Poly. 

Our first step was to create a literature review and present to Cal Poly's AERO Student Funding Committee; the project did not have any other funding beforehand. I created a list of materials and a budget, which I presented to this student-led board. After this meeting, I successfully received a grant to cover our entire budget. 

After the initial literature review and ordering the parts, my team mate and I used our prior club experience to make an initial system that mimicked those currently used by the clubs on campus. This system was successful; it produced a beautiful fiber glass plate. However, I did find a few places where it could be fixed. 

One component that needed to be improved upon was the vacuum pump. I wanted the vacuum pump to turn off automatically when it reached a certain pressure. To to this, I needed to install a relay in the vacuum pump. I examined the wiring of the pump and connected the relay into the wiring. This part was particularly difficult because of the snipping and rearrangement of wires; however, I accomplished this through careful instruction. Afterwards, I modeled and 3D printed a new cover to protect the vacuum pump wiring because the relay could not fit into the existing structure. I was thrilled that this update was completed and working on time at the end of the quarter.