Last quarter I had the opportunity to take ME203: Design and Manufacturing. 203 is a core Mechanical Engineering requirement at Stanford and known colloquially as the “shop class”. The class consistes of a weekly lecture on physical manufacturing processes and methods and copious amounts of time in the Product Realization Laboratory (PRL). Students pick a product at the beginning of the quarter to manufacture and spend the 8 remaining weeks designing, prototyping, and manufacturing whatever it is they choose.

I settled on making a case for my Apple keyboard and trackpad. I use the iMacs in the computer lab as external monitors and often carry my keyboard back and forth from dorm-room to lab. Over time the keyboard has gotten pretty beat-up and was beginning to lose some keys. I wanted to make a case that would be protective, but also have that sweet, polished aluminum, Apple look.

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