Professor Leads Guitar-Curing Project

Dr. Patricia Mellodge, assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, plays guitar and studies, among other things, the mathematical modeling of microwave-material interactions. She has combined those two passions in a project designed to improve the wood coating process for Taylor Guitars using microwave energy. She is working on this project with Dr. Diane Folz, research faculty in Materials Science and Engineering at Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where Dr. Mellodge earned her Ph.D.), CETA colleague Dr. Bob Celmer, professor and program director of Acoustical Engineering and Music, and students from both CETA and Virginia Tech

Last year Virginia Tech students Chase Hammond, Cary Hill, and Charles Sprinkle, Materials Science and Engineering majors, worked on microwave processing and materials characterization as part of their senior project. The CETA students, Andy Sorenson and Stalin Vera, Acoustical Engineering and Music majors, performed vibrational testing on uncured, Taylor’s ultraviolet-cured, and Virginia-Tech-cured samples and compared the results as a project for their Noise Control Design class. The overall objective for all the students was to determine whether microwaves represent a viable alternative to Taylor’s current UV process that would give Taylor more control over the curing process. Taylor provided samples of their wood and UV-activated coating materials, along with guidance in using them.

In late May, the students traveled with Drs. Mellodge and Folz to Taylor Guitars in El Cajon, California, to meet Taylor staff members Matt Guzzetta, industrial designer, and Steve Baldwin, the Finish Department manager, and present the results of their first year’s work. In addition, the students, faculty, and Taylor staff discussed what Taylor sees as the most crucial issues in their finishing process and what steps need to be taken next in the project.

In addition to the trip to El Cajon, Drs. Mellodge and Folz attended a workshop at Purdue University entitled “Exploring Comprehensive Design and Product Lifecycle Management Through Guitar Design and Manufacture.” The workshop was funded by the National Science Foundation and hosted by Mike Aikens from Butler County Community College, Tom Singer from Sinclair Community College, and Nathan Hartman, Mark French, and Brad Harringer from Purdue University. The intent of the workshop was to expose faculty to the construction of an electric guitar as a vehicle for teaching STEM, engineering design, and manufacturing concepts to students. The hosts also hoped to build collaborations with attendees to expand the project to more schools. Drs. Mellodge and. Folz hope to expand the project with Taylor to incorporate the concepts they learned at the workshop and collaborate with Purdue, Butler, and Sinclair.

In the meanwhile, the Taylor project will continue this coming academic year as student projects at both CETA and Virginia Tech. The Virginia Tech students will develop the microwave process further, with a focus on improving the quality of the base layer coating applied to the wood. The CETA students will continue to evaluate the vibrational characteristics of the samples cured using various methods and will compare the results.

Dr. Mellodge is proud of this project. As she says, it “is a great opportunity for students to engage in a real-world research project and experience the design process from concept to application. As the project continues, we will expand into other engineering areas such as electromagnetic, computer modeling, and simulation. Over the course of this multi-year collaboration, we expect many undergraduates from the University of Hartford and Virginia Tech to work together on this project.”