Case Study: The University of Wisconsin-Stout enhances industrial design education with OpenBOM

The University of Wisconsin-Stout is using OpenBOM for Industrial Design Class

The University of Wisconsin-Stout's Industrial Design program faced the challenge of providing its students with a real-world manufacturing and planning experience for their capstone projects. Students needed to move beyond concept design to create a manufacturing plan, a process that was traditionally difficult without practical BOM management tools. Lecturer Kerstin Nye sought a solution to introduce this "real" experience and chose OpenBOM.

The university implemented OpenBOM, creating a team for the class and giving each student immediate access. The solution allowed students to seamlessly create and update Bills of Materials directly from their CAD designs, adding crucial manufacturing data like cost and vendor information. The results were highly successful; students easily adopted the tool through sample data and online resources, eliminating the stress of using Excel. OpenBOM provided an intuitive platform that gave students vital, practical knowledge for their future careers, with the vendor's integration and ease of use being frequently praised.

The University of Wisconsin-Stout

Kerstin Nye

Class Lecturer and Professor