Industry-Based Senior Projects and the Four Pillars of Manufacturing Engineering

The Four Pillars of Manufacturing Engineering model focuses on the ties between academic programs and engineering practice. The pillars of the model focus on fundamental topic areas expected in any manufacturing program graduate. The foundation and lentil of the model address basic knowledge and competencies. The model is also recommended for other programs that are educating graduates who will serve industry. By addressing some or all of the Four Pillars model, programs will better prepare their students for professional practice. The engineering program at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) has an interdisciplinary senior project program combining students in Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, and Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering. Companies submit project applications, normally involving product design, production equipment, and/or test equipment. The applications are vetted by faculty whom approve applications and assign project teams. Once approved, the teams do the design, build, and test work with funding from the sponsor. Faculty manage the academic aspects of the projects, while the sponsors approve technical work. Projects must satisfy faculty and sponsor for successful completion. As a result a majority of project outcomes are put into use in production, used in testing, or added to a company’s product lineup. A number of the projects have resulted in patents. Industry focused projects have made graduates highly prized by employers, and the program well supported by industry. The paper explores the relationship between the four pillars model and industry focused senior project. This will includes a sample project description and analysis. The Capstone Senior Project Course The final test of the student preparation is the senior project capstone course. This course uses many, but not all of the topics taught in prerequisite courses. In addition it introduces a few topics of a professional nature. The projects in this course are sponsored by local companies. Faculty vet the projects for suitability including technical challenge, well defined goals, and adequate financial support. The first segment of the project begins in the winter of the senior year. During this semester the students develop designs to satisfy the sponsor needs. The semester concludes with student presentations to sponsors. The sponsor must accept the proposal. In the second spring/summer semester the students order materials, build components, integrate components, test, and eventually deliver the result. Like the first semester, the sponsors must accept the final product for the course to conclude. The first semester P ge 24741.2 includes lecture content, as listed2. The second semester of the course does not include lectures. Throughout both semesters, students hold weekly meetings with faculty and produce progress reports. ● An Overview of Design Products ● Needs Identification and Specifications ● Design Concepts and Embodiments ● People and Teams ● Decision Making ● Planning and Managing Projects ● Finance, Budgets, Purchasing, and Bidding ● Communication, Meetings, and Presentations ● Universal Design Topics ● Reliability and System Design Given the key role of the capstone project course, the content is carefully chosen to ensure accreditation criteria and outcomes are addressed. As mentioned before, this does require some material that is not well suited to other classes, but well suited to industry sponsored projects. The four pillars of manufacturing model1 represents a professional perspective on the outcomes from a manufacturing program. These group curriculum areas by industry needs, as illustrated in Figure 1. The capstone lecture content is highlighted in green as mapped to the four pillars. There is very little coverage of manufacturing topics, which is reasonable given the interdisciplinary course composition. However, there is a heavy focus on design, quality, and management as applied to all engineering disciplines. In all engineering programs at GVSU, the course serves as the designated source of business knowledge for many disciplines. For the manufacturing engineering students, most of the unhighlighted topics have been addressed in prerequisite courses. The GVSU Senior Project Description A senior project was conducted for a company that makes aftermarket equipment for personal watercraft. One of their product lines is a bilge pump that is manufactured in asia. After manufacturing the pumps are tested in asia, and then again upon arrival at the company. The current testing facilities were quickly built, had limited accuracy, and differed between the asian and domestic sites. The student project was to design and build two identical pump test stands that could be used in both locations. The stands were to provide a common testing standard. In addition the stands would allow the pumps to be connected quickly, and tested with minimal attention. The machines measure flow rate for several different pumps with several different interfaces. During the tests these pumps run continuously for many hours while measuring the motor current draw. The tests stop after a designated time, or when a pump fails. After a test is complete the current and flow rate data is downloaded for analysis and record keeping. The two test stands were identical with the P ge 24741.3 exception of the user interface. The asian version has the user interface translated to chinese, with the help of a faculty member. The Lentil ­ Skill Sets Requested for Manufacturing Engineers Professional Effectiveness Customer Focus ­ Quality & Continuous Improvement ­ Metrology ­ SPC ­ Problem Analysis (FMEA, DOE, etc.) ­ Capability Analysis ­ Reliability ­ Systems Thinking ­ Product Design ­ Manufacturing Processes ­ Production System Design ­ Measurement of Process Variables ­ Process Improvement The Four Pillars ­ The Core Areas Materials and Manufacturing Processes Engineering Sciences Statics and Dynamics Mechanics of Materials Fluid Mechanics Thermodynamics/Heat Transfer Electrical Circuits/Electronics Materials Metals Plastics/Polymers Composites Ceramics Fluids Glasses Nanotechnology Foams Hybrids Natural Materials Manufacturing Processes Material Removal Fabrication Hot and Cold Forming Casting and Molding Electrical/Electronics Manufacturing Heat Treatment Joining, Welding and Assembly Finishing Bulk and Continuous Flow Material Handling and Packaging Hand Tool Use & Machine Operating Product, Tooling and Assembly Engineering Product Design Market/Sales/Lifecycle Analysis Intellectual Property Protection Design Management Thermodynamics/Heat Transfer Simulation/Engineering Design Concurrent Engineering Design for X (Mfg/Assy/Maint, etc.) Drawing/Engineering Graphics CAD/CAM/CAE Tolerance Analysis/GD&T Product Liability Process Design Process Research and Development Simulation/Process Analysis Product Prototype Build and Test Process Development and Test Print Reading Rapid Prototyping Equipment/Tool Design Cutting Tool Design Work Holding Tool Design Die/Mold Design Gage Design Machine Design Manufacturing Systems and Operations Production System Design Infastructure/Plant Location Facility Planning/Plant Layout Processes Planning/Development Capacity Planning Product/Mfg System Design Process Documentation Work Instructions Tool and Equipment Selection Production System Build & Test Human Factors, Ergonomics, Safety Maintenance Systems Environmental Protection Waste Management Automated Systems and Control Power Systems (Mech/Elec/Fluid) Control Systems (Mech/Elec/Fluid) Packaging Systems Automated Systems (Hard/Flexible) CNC/PLC/Computer Control Computer Systems and Networks Information Technology Database Systems (MIS, etc.) Enterprise Wide System Integration Manufacturing Competitiveness Quality and Continuous Improvement Customer Focus Quality Systems and Standards Statistical Control Methods Problem Analysis & Solving Factor Analysis (DOE/Correlation) Capability Analysis Inspection/Test/Validation Metrology Reliability Analysis Continuous Improvement/Lean Customer and Field Service Manufacturing Management Strategic Planning Global Competition Organizational Design & Management Project Management Personnel Management Human Behavior/Leadership Labor Relations Education & Training Operations Research/Forecasting Supply Chain & Logistics Accounting/Finance/Economics Business/Engineering Ethics Social Responsibility Standards, Laws, Regulations The Foundation ­ The Basics Mathematics and Science Physics, Chemistry, Bio­Science Algebra, Trigonometry, Analytic Geometry, Calculus, Probability, Statistics Personal Effectiveness Interpersonal Skills, Negotiating, Conflict Management, Innovation, Creativity, Written and Oral Communication, Presentation Skills, Lifelong Learning, Knowledge Figure 1 ­ The Senior Project Lecture Content and the Four Pillars (highlighted in green) P ge 24741.4 The project was composed of a mixed group with five students from Mechanical, and one student from Product Design and Manufacturing Engineering. During the first semester the students developed specifications, conceptual designs, prototypes, detailed designs, budgets, and project plans for the sponsor. The project was reviewed critically and approved by the project sponsor for a budget of $13K. During the second semester the materials and components were purchased, built, assembled, and tested. During testing the students identified a number of design issues that were corrected, a normal occurrence for all projects. The final machine was presented to the sponsor for review later in the second semester. During the review they identified a number of small items requiring correction, also a normal occurrence. Once satisfied the customer signed for acceptance of the project, completing the student course work.