From the Past to the Future: How Mechanical Workshops are Revived at KuzSTU

The old workshop, located on the ground floor of the main building of KuzSTU, has long kept the spirit of Soviet industrial power. Kuzbass enterprises gave the scientists of the university metalworking machines of the 1950s-1970s; the machines stopped being used for their intended purpose only in 2015. Today, the space is being revitalized again thanks to the "Mechanical Workshops" project.

The ultimate goal is to create a unique museum and educational space where guests can learn the history of technical progress and try their hand at creating mechanisms and machines. Kuzbass schoolchildren, university students and teachers are actively involved in the implementation of the project.

In two renovated halls, test runs of 12 preserved machines are underway. The remaining part will be placed in other halls and restored to working condition. For example, at the beginning of this year a lathe and screw-cutting machine produced by the Krasny Proletarii plant were prepared: the friction clutch was replaced, the gearbox plunger pump was repaired, the acceleration screw was adjusted and many other things were done.

Since the "Mechanical workshops" were conceived as a synthesis of a museum and educational space, the practices for KuzSTU students have acquired a new format. The first participants of such an experiment were the students of the Institute of Professional Education of the specialty "Maintenance and repair of engines, systems and units of cars". Future specialists studied the basics of machine-tool construction and mastered basic skills of locksmithing and mechanics. The first experience was successful, and plans are underway to introduce such practical classes on a regular basis.