Engineering Design and Manufacture

Description

The course seeks to make students aware of effective design communications, the design decision-making process, Computer Aided Design (CAD), Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM), Additive Manufacture and the use of standard engineering components/materials/processes such as metric fasteners, rolled hollow sections (RHS), and fusion welding. To achieve this, students will actively undertake embodiment and detailed design tasks and laboratory exercises set in the context of the formalized design process.

Course Aims

1. You will learn SolidWorks CAD (Computer Aided Design) to a level that you can competently
produce part and assembly models and from those create manufacturing and communication
drawings. Animation of mechanical devices will be self-taught as an assignment task.
2. To competently design a product you must appreciate how it can be made. In this course you will
learn about manufacturing processes. Typical industries whose products are likely to use the
processes discussed include aerospace, automotive, mechatronic, fabricated metals, heavy and light
machinery, bioengineering, and plastics. We will not look at continuous flow processes such as used
in a milk treatment plant.
3. You will gain an understanding of the capabilities and limitations of these processes and the
relationships between product designs, method of manufacture and market requirements.
4. To ensure your designed parts fit together you need to be able to confirm their critical dimensions.
You will develop a fundamental understanding of Metrology, the science behind measuring parts with
a variety of measuring instruments and equipment. Good measurement practices, error determination
and reporting will be learnt.
5. You can’t make something to an exact size so you will learn about using geometric and standard
tolerances to tell the manufacturer the upper and lower limits of a part dimension.
6. Design for manufacture and assembly is essential for any part or device you need to make. You
will learn about the principles for sound DFMA.
7. You will build on your application of engineering design methodology.
8. Industry guest speakers will describe manufacturing processes and design related challenges they
have faced and how they have overcome them.
9. Excellent written job applications and interviewing skills are essential for getting the right job for
you. You will learn how to find jobs, present quality applications, and conduct yourself in interviews.
10. You will experience using laser cutting as a way to make 3 dimensional assemblies.
11. Mechanical engineering covers a very wide range of activities and product development. Internal
combustion engines combine many of the processes, materials and principles you will learn
throughout your studies so you will experience stripping and rebuilding an engine. But this lab in no
way suggests that engineers only work on engines.
12. Computer Numerical Control (CNC) processes are commonly used to direct the motion of tools on
automatic machines. You will experience programing and operating a CNC machine.