Knaack used its facilities to build prototypes of the students' design, and the new team of students took them to jobsites around the Southeast, recording impressions and criticism. "We were two college kids out there, and the foreman and superintendent had no qualms about telling us what they thought," said Humphreys. A key issue was whether the gangbox's parts— handles, connectors and the telescoping chassis for drawers, for example—would hold up over time. "If this thing gets hit by a forklift, it might never work again," workers told him.

Workers appreciated the separate locking chest at the bottom to secure expensive tools as well as the broad sliding drawers. "One guy saw a feature and said, 'Yeah, I cut up my box and rewelded it to be like that years ago,' " said Humphreys. "But for all the opinions, end users usually don't have any say in the purchase."

The disconnect between purchasers and actual end users of tools has been a sticking point in the program. "The guys who buy it don't use it," notes Petersen. "Fifteen guys are going to use it, so we have to aim for a composite worker. We explained to the students that the bigger challenge for us is to sell to the large companies."

The projects largely are finished at the end of spring, although some may get another try the next year. "The idea is that the manufacturing community can now use these to produce or improve products, and then, academically, that summer semester we go back and start over with a new batch of victims," Holley deadpanned.

The school's financial arrangement varies with the manufacturer's level of involvement. In the case of Knaack, initial fall research work was funded fully by Auburn. According to Petersen, the company's total investment in the gangbox project was less than $20,000. "We made it clear to [Holley] that we can't take 13 projects forward," said Petersen. "Some students had really expensive ideas, and we can't afford to retool our production line. But once they get a sense of the product, they become fantastic partners for us."

Knaack and Auburn currently are negotiating terms for bringing the student-developed gangbox to market. Licensing issues, including royalties to the school, are still being finalized. Two other projects are in similar manufacturer arrangements.

According to Holley, of the roughly 90 products developed in the Studio Build program's history, provisional patents have been filed for all, and full utility patents have been awarded or are pending for six.