Design and Manufacturing
The most valuable experiences I had in ME 250 were in the shop and in the computer lab. In the computer lab I learned the basics of CAD through Solid Works. Although I doubt my proficiency even counts as a tip of an iceberg, I now know how to draw and assemble simple designs. I found these skills useful, especially when they were applied to a real world manufacturing case. The Slotbots project did a good job of taking us through the design and manufacturing process. The experience of modeling in Solid Works, creating a drawing, then machining the part in the shop was very valuable.
One of the most important practices I learned in the shop was how to dimension accurately. I learned how to do this by learning how to mark stock material with a height gauge. I already knew how to use a few machines, but machines I learned how to use in the shop include the mill, lathe, and shear. I also learned that different materials must be machined using different processes. During my time in the shop I was also introduced to the capabilities of a laser cutter and water jet.
Teamwork and Time Management
ME 250 was not my first endeavor in working on a team, however it was one of the most challenging because of the plurality of deadlines. These often forced our team to divide into sub groups in order to complete the assigned tasks more efficiently. This was an effective technique our team had a chance to refine in the course.
Course Improvements
And I do mean course improvements. ME 250 needs more than fine tuning. Here is a breakdown by category.
CAD
The CAD lessons were too rushed. I learned most of what I know about Solid Works out of class. If you missed a beat in class, you would be behind the rest of the class period. I think CAD is really important to the design process. And I think students would be better off if CAD was introduced in the Tuesday and Thursday lectures and then the Wednesday discussion sections could be used to run through the material again.
Machining and Hands On Labs
I think the hands on labs would be more helpful if done earlier in the term. In terms of machining. Students obviously were not prepared to start and finish their slotbots in the four week span available. A lot of that had to do with the level of knowledge going into the manufacturing process of our slotbot. None of my team had machining experience coming in, and three, fifty minute shop lessons with 20 other students two months before you're allowed to actually touch the machines are not the best way to gain knowledge of the powerful and dangerous machines we were set loose on. On our first day in the shop we did not even know how to turn the machines on. There needs to be more teaching done before students are set loose in the shop. If for no other reason that for the safety of others in the shop. The best way to learn how to safely use the machines is through instructor, guided hands on experience. Bob cannot do this alone, especially with 50 students with no experience in the shop all asking him questions simultaneously. The Professors and GSIs should step up and pitch in with helping students through the process of using the machines.
Lectures and Exam
The lectures were often too in depth for the course. Students would have benefited if more lecture time was spent learning how to machine and use Solidworks. Professors and GSIs did not do an adequate job at preparing students for the exam. Topics of emphasis on the exam should be covered more than once in lecture and at least once in homework. And in an exam review session examples and topics of what are going to be emphasized on the test should be covered. An example of this was being expected to know the machining processes when it was not covered in the review and at that point I did not have any worthwhile experience using machines in the shop.
Personal Improvement
I could have improved my performance by attending office hours more often. I could have started planning how we would machine and assemble our machine earlier. I did not realize how great of a time commitment the project would be.
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