Bendtec

On Thursday, February 28^th, ten IRE students and two instructors toured the facilities of Bendtec, a pipe bending and manufacturing company in Duluth, MN that has been in operation for over 90 years.  The students were taking competencies in either Mechanics of Materials or Materials Science, and this was a great opportunity to see some of the theories and applications of each subject up close and personal.  The facilities were impressive due to their sheer size.  The students were briefed on a number of interesting facts about the company, including its history, the breadth of services performed, industries served, and technologies developed.  What I found most useful as a student was to see some real world applications of what I have been learning about in materials science.  Viewing a tensile strength test in person, as well as seeing the stress-strain curve generated by an accompanying computer program did a fantastic job integrating theoretical knowledge and practical application.  At another lab station, students were able to view grain boundaries and the structure of a weld under a scanning electron microscope.  Other points of interest on the tour included Bendtec’s systems for heating and cooling metals to change their material properties, their sandblasting room able to accommodate pieces up to 66 inches in diameter, and their machines that actually bend pipe of that size.  Equally interesting was to hear one of the project managers and the company’s owner express great interest in the Iron Range Engineering program.  The emphasis on hands on learning, professional development, leadership, and communications drew high praises from both.