High School Research at Jefferson Lab

3D Model Creation for Common Parts Database

I was tasked with adding key design elements to the "Common Parts" library for CAD (computer aided design) systems. This database is a unique repository of 3D models of common parts used widely in many systems throughout Jefferson Lab. With the database of common parts, designers can pull whichever part they need out of the database from any location on campus. Having this database promotes efficiency and consistency, and these parts are essential to most of the structures built here at the lab. The uses of the parts range from simple structures to mount equipment all the way to vital parts of the accelerator itself. The structural steel pieces I am making are the foundations of most of the structural systems at Jefferson Lab. Although the program I used, NX 7.5, makes modeling these parts look simple, adding these essential pieces was an arduous task requiring human precision, error diagnostics, and critical thinking. It was no small feat creating such a vast library of parts that are parametrically modifiable. The availability of this library of common parts will have an impact on design and efficiency at the lab for years to come.