Outlook Magazine - Fall 2024

Davis, who has worked at the VA for more than two years, helped design and oversees the manufacture of the wheelchair. The project goes back 10 years, but with his work it has advanced to user testing in Minneapolis and Palo Alto, Calif. “That’s the major reason I’m here. I saw that technology and wanted to be part of it,” said Davis, who previously worked as a project engineer with Stratasys, which makes 3D printers. The standing wheelchair includes 3D-printed parts. If successful, it too could be licensed for commercial production. RECOVER stands for Rehabilitation and Engineering Center for Optimizing Veteran Engagement and Reintegration. Along with the 3D lab, Davis works in the machine shop. He also supports the design engineers with TTAP — the VA Technology Transfer Program. “TTAP is for ideas, devices and therapies that come from anyone in the VA network who wants to develop them. We will apply our experience and skills to help get the idea through industrial design, functional design and design for manufacturing.” Davis majored in engineering technology at UW-Stout with an emphasis in plastics. Seventeen years ago, 3D printing was fairly new technology, but he saw its potential. Once, he was two hours late for a date with his future wife, Jillian McDowell Davis (’05) , when he lost track of time while 3D-printing in a lab. For his senior capstone, he was the only person who 3D-printed his project — a crank arm for a bicycle pedal. His career in engineering and 3D printing has been cycling forward ever since.

that shoe, which slips onto the ankle unit. Imagine a veteran walking into their home, taking off their outside shoes — foot included — and putting on their inside shoes, foot and all. Davis also has designed a system to test the strength and wear of a prosthetic socket, creating a pneumatic testing frame and using custom software to control the tests. “The goal is to come up with a test that can confirm the structural integrity of a traditionally fabricated socket. We can then apply those same tests to start to optimize materials and design of the sockets,” he said. Moving to another floor at the VA hospital, Davis enters a windowless room with an assortment of wheelchairs. One of them is special: A prototype of a manual, mobile, standing wheelchair. Davis sits down, presses a button at the end of an arm with his thumb and the chair slowly rises to a standing position. Then, he rolls forward like he wants to get something from a high shelf. Think of the many more things people in wheelchairs could do if they could move and stand. “It would help empower veterans,” he said.

This edition of Outlook magazine was proudly printed by Spectra Print in Stevens Point, WI. A longtime partner of UW-Stout, Spectra was most recently featured in a story about the design competition and production process that created Chancellor Frank’s 2023 seasonal donor card. ABOUT SPECTRA PRINT Founded in 1930, Spectra Print has evolved to become a leading full service printing services company that excels not only in high-quality printed products but also in marketing, media and publishing services. Spectra Print is G7 Master Qualified by IDEAlliance. CURRENT STOUT ALUMNI AT SPECTRA

• Kristy Boutain (’99) • Jayne Fuehrer (’90) • Scott Hoffmann (’89) • Kay Rasmussen (’03) READ THE FULL STORY

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Outlook 2024