Design and manufacturing
The design process gives you the ultimate freedom to create what you want. During our first group meeting when I compared my designs to my teammates, I felt like there were so many options I didn’t even consider. I realized that this project would force us to think way outside the box at every step of the way. This proved true when our slotbot did not fit in the starting range. By altering and adding to our design, we were able to fix this problem. I learned from the design process that when designing, accounting for changes and improvements is necessary to insure the parts will work when manufactured.
Manufacturing is a fun and dangerous process. Since I had very little experience when it came to machining, I learned a lot during this part of the project. Thankfully Bob and John, who run the Mechanical Engineering machine shop, were there to teach us everything we could need to know to machine our slotbots. In addition, my teammates taught me the specifics of the mill when it was my turn to machine a part. From the manufacturing process I learned how to use the mill and lathe. Also, I learned the organization of drill bit, end mill, and reamer sizes.
Teamwork and time management
When we started machining parts for our slotbot, we realized a few things. One, though one person could machine a part on the mill, it could be faster for two people to work together on that given part. This is because when machining, you need to reference the part’s drawing and then machine. One person could then relay information from the drawing while the other person would focus on the machining. Two, even with a time slot for machining each day, there might be a day when only one person could go machine parts. This happened when we had a later machining time than usual and I was the only one who could go. Though two people could be faster, we had to use our time efficiently. Thus, I went and machined parts by myself. And three, when creating drawings for all of the parts, it was best to work on them together. We split the drawings for the parts into four sections and each of us took a section. But, by working on them together, we could insure all the parts would work together, we could ask each other questions, and we correctly organize the drawings into an efficient order.
Course Improvements
I have several improvements to the course that I feel are absolutely necessary. First, the homework needs to relate to the material taught in class and needs to tie into the project more. Second, though the extra two labs were good, the bike lab’s time slot was way too short for what we needed to do. In my opinion, since I was rushed the whole time I could barely analyze what was happening to the bike. This lab needs to be longer so future students can actually take time to know what they are doing to the bike and can retain this knowledge of how it works. And third, I feel like the class did not prepare me well enough for the first question of the exam. The question felt much more difficult than anything I had seen in class. For next time I recommend for the similar question to tone down the question or take a part or two off it.
Self Improvements
There are two things I could have improved upon in the course. One, I could have been a little more diligent with learning solid works. I understand how to use it, but I keep forgetting key functions that are necessary to build parts in the program. Two, I could have reviewed some of the information for the exam a little more than I did. It would have helped me for the exam as well as for machining.
Other
Lectures were good but the last couple lectures I found were slightly harder to stay awake in. I recommend a couple extra videos. Also, starting area for the slotbot table must be solidified by the start of the semester and all rules must be enforced to the fullest!
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