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Session 3263

Experiential Learning in Computer Integrated Manufacturing Through Team Projects

Winston F. Erevelles GMI Engineering& Management Institute

Abstract The paper describes projects undertaken by student teams in a senior level course in Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Students generate concepts for a product, synthesize this concept into multiple design alternatives, select the most feasible design based on manufacturability and assemblability considerations, manufacture the product on CNC machines in the CIM Laboratory, develop solutions for automated assembly, and implement software solutions for hierarchical supervisory control of manufacturing operations. Student teams (4-5 students each) are challenged by the complexity of the project, the need for extensive planning and teamwork based on project management principles, the interfacing required with vendors and in-house technical support, the need to interact and collaborate with 7 other student teams working on the same endeavor in the same laboratory, and the compressed time frame of the project.

Introduction Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) has been espoused, attempted, and implemented by various sectors of US industry in response to the challenges of an increasingly competitive global market. An examination of CASA/SME’s LEAD (Leadership and Excellence in the Application and Development of CIM) award winners yields industries from different areas of the manufacturing sector. Each of the winners has demonstrated manufacturing excellence through integrated solutions achieved by multifunctional, interdisciplinary teams. Over the past few years it has become increasingly obvious that functional isolation and the barriers between different functional areas of an organization jeopardize their competitiveness and even survival. Initiatives such as Profile 21 and Curricula 2000/2002 have identified needs and deficiencies in manufacturing education and have made recommendations for programs at various levels of education and experience 1’2. At GMI, these initiatives and industry’s needs have resulted in a drive towards integrated manufacturing curricula featuring a continuum of experiences that enable students to correlate subject matter learned in different courses. Snapshots of localized information are thus synthesized into a fabric of engineering knowledge and interpersonal skills that are applicable to a variety of manufacturing problems and situations in the workplace. The goal here has been the provision of realistic experiences that would enable participants to develop and refine technical, interpersonal, and communication skills 3 . Projects undertaken by student teams lend themselves very nicely to such a goal.

Overview of GMI and the CIM Facility GMI Engineering& Management Institute has long been regarded as America’s premier co-operative college. Students alternate between full time academic experiences and co-operative experiences in industry for a period of 5 years as part of the engineering curriculum at the baccalaureate level. The diversity of

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Erevelles, W. F. (1996, June), Experiential Learning In Computer Integrated Manufacturing Through Team Projects Paper presented at 1996 Annual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia. 10.18260/1-2--6047