Beverly's Individual Reflection

Design and Manufacturing I (ME250) was my first mechanical engineering class here at the University of Michigan, and I found the class to be a good experience overall. I enjoyed working on a more hands-on project rather than in a more academically focused environment. I had no previous knowledge about machining metal or about mechanical components, so it was good to get a general overview on this topic. I feel a lot more prepared to take my future mechanical engineering course after taking this class.

For the design and manufacturing part of the class, I learned a lot about how to use the machines. I had never touched a lathe or a mill, and it was difficult at first to become acquainted with the machines. But now I feel more confident in machining parts and working in the ME shop. As for the design component of the class, my Engineering 100 (Photovoltaics & Solar Cells) used similar approach in teaching the design process, so I was familiar with this when we talked about it in class. The design portion was my favorite part of the class. I wish that we could have gone more in depth with this topic, but I do understand that there is a lot to cover in the class. I am glad that I learned how to make a Pugh Chart because I actually ended up making one for a BLUElab Design Review later this semester.

In terms of teamwork and time management, the most difficult problem I think our team dealt with was getting enough time on the mill and lathe in the machine shop. It was frustrating that we could not work when we needed to. I had no idea when the machines were available and I could not sign up for the times myself, so Robin, our designated team leader, had to do this for our team. Eventually, everything worked out so that we had our machine done early, but we ended up using less precise tools such as the band saw and the drill press to get everything finished. I also found that it was sometimes difficult to work as team due to differences in our individual schedules. This was to be expected though, and we managed to work around our schedules.

Although making the machines to play the Ball Tower Game was fun, I wish that there were a more practical application for our designs. For instance, our machine was specifically designed for the Ball Tower Game, which is only ever played in ME250 at the U of M, and had very little practical applications outside of the game. That said, I think that the Ball Tower Game was a good way to have an even playing field for each team since there was a clear set of rules for the game. This definitely allowed us to put an equal focus on design and machining in the time allotted for the class.

I think that the course could be improved by making the lectures more interactive. Especially because the lecture is in the early morning, I have a hard time focusing on things like 10 different slides on 15 different types of ball bearings. Information like this was very unfiltered, and I felt like there was just a lot of information being thrown at me. I really wanted to see the main message (in this example, the main types of bearings, what they do, and some common applications) instead of a lot of specific information. The lecture slides could definitely be more clear, concise, and direct. I think this would greatly help students understand the manufacturing and building process better and would improve students’ performances on the exam and the competition.

I could have improved my performance in this course by practicing using the tools and machines in the shop more. Unfortunately, this semester was a busy one for me, so this was not really an option. My group members had more experience building projects and using machinery than me, so often I worked much slower and less efficiently than them. At the end of the class though, I still feel like I learned a lot about CAD and manufacturing since I essentially had no previous skills or knowledge.

Finally, I would like to say that I had a pretty good experience in ME250. Team Holy Moly is awesome, and Connor Moelmann is one of the better GSIs I’ve had at the U of M. I’m glad that we were able to work everything out for this class, and I look forward to taking ME350 in the future.