Engineering students at Louisiana State University (LSU) have completed a capstone project sponsored by ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge Complex to redesign a component used in rotating industrial equipment. The effort involved support from Nikon SLM Solutions, a developer of integrated metal additive manufacturing systems, and Howco Additive, a service provider offering design-for-additive-manufacturing (DFAM) expertise and production capabilities.
The team focused on the Machinery Anti-Wicking Device, a part designed to prevent lubrication oil from wicking up thermocouple wires and damaging instrumentation. Traditionally manufactured from an aluminum billet through machining, the part was reengineered using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) and printed on a Nikon SLM®280 system provided by Howco Additive. The new version of the device was designed to improve sealing and durability, offer modularity, and reduce manufacturing lead times from months to days.
LSU’s Capstone Team 54—composed of Brennon Broussard, Jude Rogers, Matthew Shannon, Garrett Valley, and Robin Torres—worked with Nikon SLM Solutions DFAM engineers Cody Durand and Brenna Dowrey. David Ramirez of Howco Additive contributed additional design and printing support. The project was recognized within LSU’s College of Engineering, receiving the Ben Burns Jr. Memorial Award for Best Capstone Project and the Award for Best Capstone Report.
“This project reflects exactly the type of innovation additive manufacturing enables,” said Cody Durand, DFAM Application Engineer at Nikon SLM Solutions. “Taking a traditionally cumbersome and failure-prone component, and not just replacing it, but radically improving it — this is where metal AM shines.” ExxonMobil’s Additive Manufacturing Lead for the Baton Rouge area, Christopher Beeson, said, “We’re proud to sponsor university capstone projects that limit students almost only by their imagination to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of our operations.” Nikon SLM Solutions’ Chief Commercial Officer Charlie Grace added, “Projects like this not only solve real-world problems — they shape the next generation of additive manufacturing talent.”
ExxonMobil is one of the world’s largest publicly traded energy and petrochemical companies, with business segments that include upstream production, product solutions, and low-carbon technologies. In 2021, the company announced plans to reduce greenhouse gas intensity from operated assets by 20–30% overall, 40–50% for upstream operations, 70–80% for methane, and 60–70% for flaring by 2030, relative to 2016 levels. Nikon SLM Solutions, headquartered in Germany with offices worldwide, produces metal 3D printing systems capable of operating with up to 12 lasers and achieving build rates of up to 1,000 cubic centimeters per hour.
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Student-driven innovation through 3D printing
At Kentucky’s KCTCS Additive Manufacturing Center, Somerset Community College (SCC) has developed Floodbuster 1, the state’s first 3D printed concrete structure. According to a white paper authored by SCC instructors Eric Wooldridge and Eldon Whitis, the project responds to housing vulnerabilities associated with conventional wood-framed construction, which often deteriorates within 50 to 60 years due to mold, pests, and rot. By comparison, older concrete structures have demonstrated lifespans exceeding 100 years. The Floodbuster 1 design uses finite element analysis and artificial intelligence to reinforce stress-critical areas, targeting resistance against EF4 tornadoes and high-velocity flooding. The structure is scheduled for public demonstration at the center on June 27.
Meanwhile, Researchers at the University of California, have released the Berkeley Humanoid Lite, a 0.8-meter-tall, 16-kilogram robot constructed using 3D printed components and standard aluminum parts. The robot’s modular actuators feature cycloidal gearboxes fabricated on desktop 3D printers. Developed by a team of graduate students and faculty, the platform was tested in tasks including walking, writing, packing, and solving a Rubik’s Cube. All CAD files, programming code, and training resources are available at https://lite.berkeley-humanoid.org under an open-source license. The full system can be built for under $5,000 using commercially available components.
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Featured photo shows LSU Capstone Team 54 presents their redesigned Machinery Anti-Wicking Device. Photo via Nikon SLM Solutions.
