Manufacturing System: A Class Project In Industry Environment

Many of the technology students in the first two years do not understand how the coursework is applied in the practice of engineering. These courses introduce engineering students to the type of tasks they are expected to handle on the job after graduation. Courses in automated manufacturing including computer numerical control (CNC) machining, materials handling, time and motion study, etc. should be designed to provide students hands on training towards their professional goals. The objective of this project is to manufacture a product using a complete manufacturing system. It includes manufacturing processes such as machining, materials handling, assembly, and inspection. The project also involves time and motion study, flow process charts, and operation sheets as usually required in an industrial production operation. The sample project presented here deals with the manufacturing of a shuttle selector manifold in an industry environment. The manifold was manufactured by a group of students in a local manufacturing company. Methods engineering and work measurements functions were performed wherever possible. The manifold is designed to work on hydraulic systems using petroleum based fluid up to 3000 psi.