Introducing hands-on manufacturing experience to students

This paper describes a laboratory-based course in Manufacturing Processes that provides handson manufacturing experience to students in Engineering Technology. The theoretical part of the course provides a general understanding of the behavior of the materials commonly used in manufacturing, the basic techniques used in processing them into useful products, the scientific theory underlying those processes, and the criteria for selecting particular processes. The laboratory portion involves team projects that help students gain hands-on experience with selected manufacturing processes. The projects start with simple components that can be made on a single machine such as a lathe or a mill, and progress to the manufacture and assembly of a fully operational model engine. This approach introduces students to the issues involved in putting together a non-trivial assembly. The projects also expose students to the idea of working in teams, a skill that is highly sought by industry.