HANCEVILLE/CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman Tribune recently presented Cullman EMA Director Phyllis Little a full-size 3D printed model of “Walter,” the official Alabama state record hailstone that was collected in the North Walter community on the evening of Mar. 19, 2018.
“Walter” was the largest of five hailstones collected and preserved by Tribune correspondent W.C. Mann after the massive hail storm struck along a route from Good Hope to Walter. All five hailstones were scanned by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety for their archives, and to produce models for testing the effects of large hail on building materials. The resulting scan files were sent to the Engineering Technology (ET) Department at Wallace State Community College (WSCC), where sets of models are being produced.
A special thanks to WSCC ET Chair Todd Hardman and ET instructor Blake Ray for their work in the production of the first models, and to Dean of Applied Technologies Jimmy Hodges for allowing us access to his staff and facilities.
More of these models are being produced for presentation to other people and organizations in Cullman County in the near future, and WSCC’s ET students will take over the setup and production procedures. Look for a story coming up on their efforts, as well as some other cool things happening in the ET Department this spring.
