Haroon Zuberi-Individual Reflection

ME250 which is my first design and manufacture class is basically what I though all my life Mechanical Engineering would be like. Studying all kinds of physics and Math in the two years before this was something that I did not know that Mechanical Engineers would have to do when I was 10 years old. After taking this class I finally feel like an actual Mechanical Engineer.

After taking this class I have definitely confirmed my decision that I want to specialize in the Manufacturing and design field. This is what I always wanted to do and now that I got a little hands –on I realized that this was the best and most interesting class I have taken so far.

In this I Class have learned the very important basics of how to design something and manufacture it. I attended all the lectures which were not only very interesting to me but also very informative about the past and also the present of the design and manufacturing world. At first we learned how to read drawing and blueprint of a part that is to be built, it was kind of tricky but was fun and I finally got a grasp on it. Then we learned in computer labs how to use Solid works to make our own part, this was something that I always wanted to learn. We made different parts in solid works and also figured out different types of material properties and their uses. Lastly we learned how to use the machining tools to build our parts. I used how to use a Lathe machine, Mill, Laser Cutter, drill press and water jet etc.

Finally after all this learning we were given some assignments and project for which we had to build parts ourselves and that when the Fun began. This was the greatest hands on experience I have received so far. By the time we were heading towards the end of the semester my team thought that I was very good at using the Mill, so whenever we had to machine a part at the Milling machine, it was usually my job to do it.

I this course I also learned a lot about time management. As being a part of the team I always kept things going instead of waiting for the last day to do something, which actually felt really great.

Also I learned a lot about team work. I have been through other team projects as well but nothing this serious and intense. This is the first time I realized how an actual team based project is. My team was great and we had a great team captain. He always made sure that everything was getting done on time. We were all responsible of what we were supposed to do and when. We had great communication between us and within a few days into the semester we were not only team partners but also great friends and we definitely hope that we can all get into the same team for ME350 and ME450 as well.

The most interesting thing I learned in this class besides the Manufacturing and design part was the information about gears. That thing came out to be way much more complicated than I thought. It was great to actually know how differentials worked as I always used to hear people talking about it but was way too complicated for me to understand.

The thing I did not really find very interesting was the Exam part of this course. I feel like the exam could have been a little more like the genre of this course unlike other courses in which we have to memorize and understand the material.

Over all this class was my best experience at UOFM so far. Our team also won the Third place in the competition which was also an awesome experience. I am really looking forward in taking ME350 and ME 450.