Although the project was time consuming and stressful, especially towards the end of the class when cramming to make final preparations for the design expo, I am glad to say that it was all worth it. I have learned a great deal from ME 250 not only about design and manufacturing, but also teamwork, time management, and other important skills necessary to complete such a demanding engineering project. These skills and this knowledge that I have gained will surely come in handy in future classes and jobs.
Before this class, I knew very little about design and manufacturing. I was familiar with SolidWorks and some aspects of design, but had little to no knowledge on the process of how to transition from a design, such as the SolidWorks model of our robot, to the actual manufacturing of that design and making it a reality. I learned the different methods of manufacturing and how to apply them to specific parts and materials, as well as how to assemble those parts to make the final product. I learned this not only from lecture, but also from actually getting to work and complete the project in the machine shop. This first-hand experience of manufacturing in the machine shop was, in my opinion, the most valuable part of the course. I quickly went from having no knowledge or idea of how to machine a single part to being fully functional on most of the machines and tools in the shop.
The project would have been a disaster had I not realized the importance of teamwork and time management. Every member on the team made significant contributions to the project. One person would not have been able to add on the responsibilities of the other members to their own and complete the project by themselves, had the other members decided not to participate. There was simply too much work to be done. For this reason, we were "forced" to get along and work on the project as a team, not as an individual. The amount of work that had to be done to complete the project also made me realize the importance of time management. For example, we decided to machine the majority of our parts, and spent most of our time the last two weeks before the competition in the machine shop. Had we been cut short by a day, or been disorganized and poorly managed our time, we probably would not have finished.
Furthermore, I am very fairly satisfied with how the course was structured. The lectures, machine shop training, and labs, which occurred before the test and in the beginning stages of the project, covered a basic overview of many of the manufacturing processes and components of design that are widely used today. Much of this information was very necessary to have in order to start and finish the project. For someone like me, who was not too familiar with these concepts initially, the lectures, training, and labs were both a good introduction to design and manufacturing in the real world as well as a good "pre-requisite" for the project. Also, the hands-on project itself was the best experience I have had with design and manufacturing, and I acquired skills that could not have been taught through lectures. Having said that, I feel that having had more time in the machine shop before the project, such as having to complete assignments similar to the lathe and mill exercises, would have been very beneficial.
I am satisfied with my performance in the course, however, there were definitely areas I could have improved upon. After starting the project and getting experience using the tools in the machine shop, I felt very comfortable using the machines and tools as well as knowledgeable as to the purpose of everything in the shop. Unfortunately, the exam came before I started working on the project in the shop, and I did not feel like I had as great of an understanding of the shop as I do now. I was not very comfortable with the manufacturing side of the class, and it showed on the test. Looking back on it, I should have gotten more help with understanding this information before starting the project. Overall, I enjoyed the class and am very happy with the end result.
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