Hands-on Manufacturing Concepts Taught to Sophomore Level Students During a Unique Field Session Experience

Jenifer Blacklock; Derrick Rodriguez

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Conference: 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Seattle, Washington
Publication Date: June 14, 2015
Start Date: June 14, 2015
End Date: June 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-692-50180-1
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: Practical Teaching in Manufacturing – 2
Tagged Division: Manufacturing
Page Count: 13
Page Numbers: 26.834.1 - 26.834.13
DOI: 10.18260/p.24171
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/24171
Download Count: 606

Paper Authors

biography

Jenifer Blacklock Colorado School of Mines

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Dr. Jenifer Blacklock is the Assistant Department Head in the Mechanical Engineering department at Colorado School of Mines. Jenifer is active in the Undergraduate Curriculum in the Mechanical Engineering department and is an advocate of using hands-on-learning tools to help develop strong math, science and engineering foundations.

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biography

Derrick Rodriguez P.E. Colorado School of Mines

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Dr. Rodriguez is a Teaching Associate Professor at the Colorado School of Mines in the Mechanical Engineering Department. He has taught over 30 courses and specializes in Thermal/Fluid Systems.

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Abstract

Hands-‐on manufacturing concepts taught to sophomore students during a unique Field Session experience The Mechanical Engineering department at Colorado School of Mines recently implemented a Manufacturing intensive hands-‐on experience for Sophomore level students during Field Session, a three week long rigorous course taken during the summer. During this three-‐week period, students are taught fundamental engineering skills such as design, modeling, CAD-‐CAM, machining, automated machining, prototyping, GD&T and creating a final working model. Field Session is a unique three-‐week long, course that all Colorado School of Mines students take during the summer of their Sophomore and Junior years. It is a time for students to work on hands-‐on-‐projects that are open ended and also learn about technology that they would not necessarily see in the classroom. The course is taken directly after the spring semester their sophomore years, which allows students to continue on to their internships for the summer. The Mechanical Engineering department has implemented a Manufacturing and Design intensive Field Session course for students to gain comfort with designing and building with their own two hands along with basic understanding of Manufacturing Processes. Additionally, several spaces have been created for students to work on developing projects. ‘The Garage’, as students call it, is a Design and Prototyping space where students can use 3D printers, laser cutters, material testing and quality and control equipment to build working prototypes and final products. The current Field Session project requires students to design and build a small, hand-‐sized, car that will be raced. Throughout this project students work with SolidWorks and are taught GD&T, build the car chassis using the CNC Mini Hass and MasterCam, program Arduinos to take accurate track time readings and finally race their cars on two different tracks. Students use HDPE plastic to machine the chassis of their cars and select other equipment available to them for creating bearings, couplings, shafts and any other components required to build their final working cars. This open-‐ended design process implemented early on in students educations is just one of many changes made to a recently accredited Mechanical Engineering degree program. This course is being tracked and assessed using annual surveys starting Sophomore year, when students declare their majors. Additionally, a Manufacturing Processes course has become a required course in the ME curriculum and is taken the students junior years. With these changes to the current ME curriculum it is hypothesized that when students get to Senior Design and their actual careers, that they are more comfortable with how various Manufacturing Processes and the steps that it takes to create a well tolerance working product.

Citation
Format

Blacklock, J., & Rodriguez, D. (2015, June), Hands-on Manufacturing Concepts Taught to Sophomore Level Students During a Unique Field Session Experience Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24171

TY  - CPAPER
AB  -   Hands-‐on  manufacturing  concepts  taught  to  sophomore  students                   during  a  unique  Field  Session  experience      The  Mechanical  Engineering  department  at  Colorado  School  of  Mines  recently  implemented  a  Manufacturing  intensive  hands-‐on  experience  for  Sophomore  level  students  during  Field  Session,  a  three  week  long  rigorous  course  taken  during  the  summer.  During  this  three-‐week  period,  students  are  taught  fundamental  engineering  skills  such  as  design,  modeling,  CAD-‐CAM,  machining,  automated  machining,  prototyping,  GD&amp;T  and  creating  a  final  working  model.      Field  Session  is  a  unique  three-‐week  long,  course  that  all  Colorado  School  of  Mines  students  take  during  the  summer  of  their  Sophomore  and  Junior  years.  It  is  a  time  for  students  to  work  on  hands-‐on-‐projects  that  are  open  ended  and  also  learn  about  technology  that  they  would  not  necessarily  see  in  the  classroom.  The  course  is  taken  directly  after  the  spring  semester  their  sophomore  years,  which  allows  students  to  continue  on  to  their  internships  for  the  summer.  The  Mechanical  Engineering  department  has  implemented  a  Manufacturing  and  Design  intensive  Field  Session  course  for  students  to  gain  comfort  with  designing  and  building  with  their  own  two  hands  along  with  basic  understanding  of  Manufacturing  Processes.  Additionally,  several  spaces  have  been  created  for  students  to  work  on  developing  projects.  ‘The  Garage’,  as  students  call  it,  is  a  Design  and  Prototyping  space  where  students  can  use  3D  printers,  laser  cutters,  material  testing  and  quality  and  control  equipment  to  build  working  prototypes  and  final  products.    The  current  Field  Session  project  requires  students  to  design  and  build  a  small,  hand-‐sized,  car  that  will  be  raced.  Throughout  this  project  students  work  with  SolidWorks  and  are  taught  GD&amp;T,  build  the  car  chassis  using  the  CNC  Mini  Hass  and  MasterCam,  program  Arduinos  to  take  accurate  track  time  readings  and  finally  race  their  cars  on  two  different  tracks.    Students  use  HDPE  plastic  to  machine  the  chassis  of  their  cars  and  select  other  equipment  available  to  them  for  creating  bearings,  couplings,  shafts  and  any  other  components  required  to  build  their  final  working  cars.  This  open-‐ended  design  process  implemented  early  on  in  students  educations  is  just  one  of  many  changes  made  to  a  recently  accredited  Mechanical  Engineering  degree  program.  This  course  is  being  tracked  and  assessed  using  annual  surveys  starting  Sophomore  year,  when  students  declare  their  majors.  Additionally,  a  Manufacturing  Processes  course  has  become  a  required  course  in  the  ME  curriculum  and  is  taken  the  students  junior  years.  With  these  changes  to  the  current  ME  curriculum  it  is  hypothesized  that  when  students  get  to  Senior  Design  and  their  actual  careers,  that  they  are  more  comfortable  with  how  various  Manufacturing  Processes  and  the  steps  that  it  takes  to  create  a  well  tolerance  working  product.          
AU  - Jenifer Blacklock
AU  - Derrick Rodriguez P.E.
CY  - Seattle, Washington
DA  - 2015/06/14
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Hands-on Manufacturing Concepts Taught to Sophomore Level Students During a Unique Field Session Experience
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/24171
DO  - 10.18260/p.24171
ER  -