One of the most valuable exercises in engineering is taking things apart. Even when they don’t (or aren’t supposed to) go back together, we always learn something in the process. We even end up with a smattering of interesting parts to use on our next build.
In this case, our school’s copy machine broke down and I began to hear rumors of a replacement machine. I immediately recognized the value of a tear down – both in experience and parts – so began pitching my idea to my director. Once I got him on board, I convinced our 3rd party vendor to let us hang on to the old copier for a few days before taking it for recycling.
This was a very interesting machine. Students would beg to have a turn at it in the hallway and could be found arguing over alternative explanations on what a certain piece of machinery does or what the optics are for. This led to a number of small group mini-lessons about stepper motors, optical sensors, ray diagrams, heat transfer, and a smattering of other random topics. By the end of the three week process, we had reduced the copier to a pile of individual parts. We claimed the stepper motors, wiring harnesses, shafts, bearings, fans, and about four pounds of hardware. Then, just when we were about to call for a recycling pickup, an upperclassman stopped by and asked if his dad could recycle all the sheet metal.
What a great process. We were able to store and reuse much of the copier, what we couldn’t reuse was recycled, and it benefited our community by putting some cash in a family’s pocket.
