Jeff Chu | ME 250 Final Thoughts

This semester I have learned a lot about the design and manufacturing process. I think one of the most important concepts we discussed and practiced was the deterministic design process. I thought it was very helpful to first breakdown the problem, then devise a strategy, then create a concept to execute the strategy, and finally manufacture the machine in modules.  I feel that this is a process I can apply to many other problems I may encounter in the future.  Aside from learning how to break about the problem, I also learned about general machining practices and engineering concepts. For example, I now know the multiple different types of screws and fasteners, or the different types of bearings and the specific application for each, or the proper way to support a bearing and a shaft. I think this background knowledge will be good know in future courses here a the University and also in general when solving problems on my own.

One of my favorite parts about the course was the introduction to the machine shop. Before this semester, I have never had any hands on experience in a shop setting. I thought it was great that we were able to learn about different processes and ultimately use them to create our machines. I think it was very beneficial to gain hands on experience making things in the shop. It was very exciting to learn about how the machines work and what is the best way to use them. I never realized how much one could do with just a lathe and a mill. I also thought it was very beneficial to gain experience using SolidWorks and the CAD software. In today’s technologically driven world, I think exposure to the software now will definitely give me a leg up when I enter the working world.

On teamwork and time management, I was shown that it really does pay to be on the ball, especially in long-term projects. I saw first hand how important it is to make a detailed plan of your work and then stick to your schedule.  The last week in the machine shop and lab classroom truly showed this. Many teams seemed as if they were super behind schedule and may not finish their machine. I felt that our team was very disciplined in sticking to the schedule and staying on top of our tasks. This made the project work much less stressful than I think it could have been. We were able to tinker with our machine and even practice driving the last few days. We also were able to paint our machine, which improved aesthetics. Another thing I realized this past semester is how important it is to do your part, and do it well. For our team, we sometimes divided some of the tasks (i.e, machining certain parts, making certain drawings). If we were all not careful in our execution of these tasks, our machine literally may not have fit together. Being precise in our design and taking care to make sure our parts were within tolerance helped us to have a clean machine.

Ultimately, I think that the course was a lot of fun. I especially enjoyed the opportunity to win prize money for placing in the competition. It was added incentive to make a great machine.