ME349 Engineering Design Projects Instructor Kim Manner 1250 Mechanical Engineering kmanner engr wisc edu 262 4825 www cae wisc edu me349 Course Objectives Students must learn and understand the overall design process including techniques methods and procedures that add structure and organization to the design process Students must have the opportunity to apply this process to a real mechanical engineering design problem This will involve the conceptualization and design of a project involving brainstorming problem solving design development and detailed analytical support Students will learn a structured process for design and to apply this design process to a project having commercial applications In the course of doing this we will learn new things about engineering about working together in teams about ourselves and hopefully have fun Background This class will be different than your other engineering courses since it is designed to simulate real world design projects These are team based projects dedicated to solving a structured design problem Because of the team structure the project solution is not completely within your individual control It is an atmosphere where the outcome is based upon the results of others and by and large you will either succeed or fail as a team This course can be a source of frustration to some You will quickly find that there is no single correct answer or approach and no specific plan for success It is an atmosphere where your instructor or the back of the book can t tell you the right answer In the end we hope that we can be proud of our efforts when we re finished Attendance On time attendance is expected at all classes unless some prior arrangements have been made This can affect your grade and your bank account r e Late Fees Grading Grading will be based largely on the quality and execution of the design project as demonstrated through ongoing reviews and the final project In many but not all cases all members of a design team will receive identical grades Other factors that may influence grades include a peer assessment by your fellow team members your design notebook and observed level of effort The following is an approximate breakdown of how I will determine grades insert instructor disclaimer here Final design and report incl presentation prototype Preliminary design report Notebook evaluation My input from task reports design update meetings etc Peer evaluation Total 500 pts 150 pts 100 pts 150 pts Priceless 1000 pts Text Ullman David G The Mechanical Design Process I recommended this text but it is not required for the course I will be providing materials on the course web page some of which are taken from this text I do think it is a good reference Design Notebook Each student will be required to keep a design notebook to be used to record the progress of your project throughout the semester The National 43 648 Composition Notebook is a good choice Project Binder Your project team may wish to maintain a project binder for the project This will be used for collecting the various loose materials such as Gantt charts brochures and other product information that will accumulate during the design process I recommend the large 3 ring variety Deliverables Project teams will be responsible for a project proposal a preliminary design report periodic project review documentation a final report and a final presentation The team is responsible for submitting weekly task reports and maintaining an up to date project timeline in the form of a Gantt Chart The team will also have to complete some level of design prototype The characteristics of the prototype will be determined on a per case basis At the conclusion of the project teams will need to turn in complete documentation for the design including the design report the project binder and all required engineering drawings Each student will be responsible to develop maintain and submit his or her Design Notebook for review at the completion of the project Final details are available though the course web page The Role of the Instructor I look at the role of the instructor in a design course as being similar to that of an engineering manager I will be available to provide advice and to point you in the right direction I will also provide periodic project assessment However I will not be providing you with solutions I cannot and will not complete your design for you I will try to teach you a process by which you may approach the task of solving a design problem I will also discuss related aspects of product development such as prototyping product liability etc Some Final Comments and Advice Your best strategy is to front load your efforts That is do the work early Often in open ended courses and projects such as this it is easy to procrastinate Do not fall prey that I understand that most of you have other commitments other course interviewing etc The existence of simultaneous multiple projects and priorities are very common in industry as well So start early plan and organize the project trust your teammates and finally communicate