Development of a Design and Manufacturing Laboratory Course
Title:
Development of a Design and Manufacturing Laboratory Course
Author:
Moller, James C.
Appeared in:
Journal of engineering design
Paging:
Volume 10 (1999) nr. 1 pages 39-57
Year:
1999-03-01
Contents:
An undergraduate course, 'Design and Manufacturing Laboratory' has been introduced into the undergraduate engineering curriculum at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The principal goal in creating the course was to provide a capstone learning experience in rapid product development, including design for both performance and manufacture, and use of computers to expedite all activities. Instruction is done in lectures, laboratory sessions, and tutorials. Student teams designed and manufactured single-component products to meet specified performance criteria. In one semester, they designed, analyzed, prepared for production, manufactured, inspected, and tested their products. The availability of a seamless computeraided design-computer-aided manufacturing interface and rapid production of manufacturing tooling were critical to course success. Products are evaluated based upon performance, ease of manufacture, and agreement between predicted and actual performance. Students felt most strongly that this course increased their knowledge and skills in the subject, and that the course subject matter was relevant to the course goals.
Journal description