As a 2nd year mechanical engineering undergrad, how can I go about teaching myself to properly design something from scratch. I know how to use CAD software to make a part that is given to me but what I don't know is how to design something in the first place when I'm not given anything. I took my Introduction to Engineering Design course as required by my program but I couldn't learn anything from it because it was so poorly organized and I mostly spent my time doing assignments without actually being able to digest the info I got.
>>34337640I searched for mechanical engineering online and complex machines and engines came up. What exactly are you supposed to design?I suppose you know. But in science, you identify a problem and start studying a lot and looking for articles. That research is the foundation for all the work. You formulate a solution to the problem and start experimenting with what you've researched. Then you collect data and verify or reject the hypothesis.What I mean is that knowing what you want to do or the problem you want to solve is the first thing, and the second is researching articles. The rest is built as you go.What you invent doesn't necessarily have to be novel.
>>343376403rd and 4th year will really put the hurt on and force you to learn a lot more fundamentals. But it's also not trade school, you won't necessarily come out knowing how to design anything, you'll come out well-equipped to learn how to design those things. Start reading books and articles on the design for whatever specific thing you are interested in, and doing projects, and you'll start developing that robust understanding of the problem space and how to navigate it in the real world. It just comes with experience and exposure.
>>34337772>doing projectsThat's the issue, I want to do projects but I have zero idea of where to start in the first place. The pic in OP is actually my design project where I'm supposed to design and manufacture a wind up car that knocks over some Jenga blocks and then parks itself.
bump
>>34337640>design stuff like an engineerFirst, you read and understand requirements. Then you cook up something that will meet the requirements. Then you optimize the design, removing as much as you can will still meet the requirements. Rinse and repeat. Eventually you'll develop heuristics. Use those during your initial design phase, so you can don't have to optimise it as much.
it almost seems like a lost artbut good luck anon
>>34337640t. 3rd year ME>Set constraints>Fuck around>Find outJust follow the engineering process you learned about, as described above.also try a personal project or join a club, those look good on resumes desu
>>34338736>join a club The clubs at my uni don't teach anything about how to design something. They just give you a task and want you to figure it out.>personal projectI want to do something but I don't know what to make that stands out
>>34337705this. I have a BA in ME, all of the best inventions start with solving a problem. so think of an issue and try to come up with a design that makes it simpler, easier, or quicker.
>>34337705>>34337772these are both good advice. everyone follows a slightly different design process, but generally you define or frame the problem, develop design objectives/constraints and requirements, then start ideating ways you can solve the problem. it's not a linear process, it's messy and requires lots of iterations and rethinking your problem, because half the battle is making sure you're solving the right problem. i like the double diamond framework as a visual for the process, because early on the 'expanding' part of the diamond indicates how your design space increases, and by doing research and understanding your problem, you then narrow the scope to a specific thing your trying to solve. after you have a good idea of the problem, then you have a new challenge which is the more fun/creative part where your ideating all the potential ways to solve it. this is where most people struggle because they don't like a blank slate. while ideating, treat it as sort of a thought dump, you're not going for quality, pump out as many ideas as possible no matter how ridiculous they are. if i hit a roadblock here, i might ask myself questions like "how can i solve this problem using only lego?", "how can i solve the problem with slave labor?", "how can i solve the problem with chickens?", doesn't matter, just something to break you out of creative paralysis. once you have a bunch of ideas you can start aggregating the good ones into a design you like.>>34339741>The clubs at my uni don't teach anything about how to design something. join FSAE or whatever groups are available. at my uni these groups were all self-directed, you don't get trained, it's also more representative of what it's like to be an engineer, you're finding problems to solve, doing analysis, and working to implement an improved design.>They just give you a task and want you to figure it out.hate to break it to you, but this is life as an engineer.
>>34339849How do you come up with that design
>>34337640If you want to design something from scratch, you arent engineering correctly.
>>34341048What do you mean ?
Bump. Still waiting for some good resources/courses/YouTube playlists that can teach me
>>34337640Learn to write you write like shit
>>34337640>I know how to use CAD software to make a part that is given to meIt's the same process even if you don't have a part in-front of you. The constraints for designing a part that doesn't exist are the same.1.) Where is it being mounted and how? i.e. you need to take measurements of the place where the part needs to fit and how it needs to be mounted in that location. You can take these measurements, or make a template of some kind that will let you collect them in a more representative manner.2.) How will the part be made? The orientation of various features will constrain the types of tools you can use and the number of operations required to produce the final part. A cut you can make with a band saw has different constraints/limitations compared to a cut you can make on a mill, scrollsaw, plasma cutter, etc.3.) Which dimensions are critical, and have narrow tolerance. As opposed to which ones are more forgiving or sloppy. And are any features needed that allow for adjustment of the part mounting in location (say slotted holes instead of thru holes so you can move the part along one direction as needed).>>34344491https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht9GwXQMgpoIf you want to produce better drawings and more efficient designs you need to practice not just the drafting itself, but the process of machining the parts you draw through various processes. Drawings that are straightforward to follow for milling have a slightly different layout and approach than those communicating features for lathe operations. And knowing what each machine process can or can't do will also help you reduce total machine hours required to produce a given component or assembly.A good exercise to try is the design a part. Dimensions the drawing. Print it out. Then try to remodel the part with only the print of the drawing onhand. If you can't recreate it 1:1 from the drawing, then you didn't provide enough detail in the dimensions.Consider taking a GD&T course.
>>34344541Nigga English isn't my first language
>>34347391Good morning saars
>>34347403Either give me advice related to my post or shut up
>>34337640>Read or come up with the requirments, how big is it going to be? what function does it need to serve? any specific components you have to use? etc>Write down the ideas you have, eg "im going to make the body out of fiberglass to reduce weight">make a few quick sketches on paper of what the thing should look like and how its going to work, come up with diffrent versions>make more detailed sketches with the dimensions you want, screw placments etc>finally use cad to design those parts and turn them into a complete assembly and drawingsthats how I used to design shit when I did engineering, once you have a design that youre somewhat happy with, you can further optimize it untill youre happy with
>>34337924Unironically watch some sloptuber like https://www.youtube.com/@StuffMadeHereHe will go through his entire thought process in problem, initial idea, making of, testing and then iterating through his projects
>>34342912An engineer is going to use readily available stuff to accomplish the problem solving, before inventing a whole new thing.
>>34350107I see
>>34348208India number 1
>>34351048I'm not even Indian
>>34349220This might be the best post in this thread
>identify a problem that needs solved with a machine>think of a mechanism that machine might use>think of easily procure-able parts you might use to build that mechanism>prototype the mechanism>identify weak points, implement fixes>prototype the mechanism>identify areas for easier manufacturing, economize on parts and complexity>prototype the mechanism>present your working prototype to investors
>>34337640>laster will cut down the middle of your lineswat is G41 and G42
>>34356222>tripsI don't know what those are, all I know is the machine shop is laser cutting parts for me to make a toy car that has to run using gears, rubber bands and a string.
>>34356222cutter comp has nothing to do with a laser you stupid fuck.t - machinist
>>34357618>I don't know what those areLeft or right side compensation. Because no matter what tool you use to cut something the resulting cut/tool has a width to it. So the path the tool has to take around the intended dimensioned shape has to be offset by the tool radius. G42 is right-side compensation, G41 is left-side compensation.
>>34358783Damn my course hasn't taught me that shit yet
>>34359649CAM is a separate discipline from CAD, but the two skills are very complimentary. I started my career path with manual machining and CAD, but the bulk of where my career path ended up is in CAM programming and tool engineering. With a slight detour into metrology and cost analysis.CAM tends to be more of a vocational program and doesn't get taught alongside drafting and CAD fundamentals. And even specialized engineering degrees like mechatronics tend to spend too little of their course focus on teaching machining methods and best practices for designing parts for reduced manufacturing costs. Though often times the larger issue is the over compartmentalization of companies that isolate their engineers too much from their machinists. And the end result is that they don't communicate or collaborate often enough to provide feedback that leads to design and process improvements.
>>34338677Why did you comment if you had nothing to say ?
>>34349211>thats how I used to design shit when I did engineeringYou don't work in engineering now ?
>>34339741Not in engineering, software guy, but the ONLY way you are going to learn to create things is by creating a lot of things from scratch. You're going to join these clubs and theyre going to give you a small thing to create, then youre going to create it. After that theyre going to give you something bigger to create, and so on. You dont get better at this skill by not doing it, its the same as anything else. Howd you learn to walk? you keep trying to walk over and over until you get it.
>>34358702G41 and G42 are not strictly limited to spinning tools. It applies to anything CNC.
>>34363732That makes sense
>>34337640just iterateuse the golden rule of engineering"if it works it works"this is not fairydust twinkletoe sciencetake an approved concept or design and adapt it to your caseall engineering is thisfor example, bridges only come in certain typeswhy?we have tried them and they workdo NOT get creative for NO REASONthat is for the clientUSE WHAT WORKSany more questions?
>>34337640start with a problem to solve, then build backwards. i want my door to be locked when i'm away, but unlocked when i'm near it, and i don't want to have to have technology on me to do it. how can i get it done? a camera could recognize me, and i could connect a camera to something like an arduino and have it gather biometric data on people that approach. but how do i connect it to the lock? i could create a deadbolt mechanism that unlocks on approach. bonus: we can add profiles to trusted people
>>34365325This doesn't sound very innovative
>>34360449How can I dip my toes into CAM as a mech undergrad ?
>>34337640try something -> it fails in some way -> you fix the problemiterate until you have a robust productshow to whoever pays you to do itthey will give you new (mostly stupid) requirementsthen you repeat the whole thing until your done (or the money runs out)
