Talk:Machine design

I'm a young engineer who is fascinated by the world of machines. I like to design for low-quantity production, and not have to worry about quality-control production issues. I've found pages talking about mechanical and machine designing. However, I suppose what I hope this subject of wikiversity will do is to discuss how to design machines, and not merely the fundamentals that make up a machine.

I hope I'm making this page right. I'm not sure if it ("Machine Design") is a division, subdivision, or if someone else already started this. I'll start by writing tidbits of information that I know on the subject. I hope others will help me organize and expand on this matter.

While growing up, I have always pictured Machine Design whenever I think of "engineering". It's attraction comes from its complexity, with so many open-ended solutions to problems. The problem solver needs to be a "scientist" (an occupation I was striving for in school), an "inventor", a general a designer, mechanical engineer, and some electrical and software engineering. Machine Design touches base with many of the other disciplines of Topic: Mechanical Engineering.

I went to a top-notched ME school. Even so, I was disappointed to see so few courses in machine design (in general mechanical design, for that matter). The courses that were available did not address it as well as I'd hoped. I want to deliver my working experience to others, especially for students who could not find such training in their regular university studies.

I do not know of a good flow for the courses. Maybe starting out with basic, more simple courses like CAD/CAM, general ME design, and simple static stress analysis. For me, the next level of complexity includes Tribology, more in-depth static and some dynamic analysis, and electrical engineering (including sensor and motor-selection). The later courses can include brief gleams of thermodynamics, vibration, control, and software (usually for control, and includes PLC and other software to make use of the mechatronics).

Due to my lack of time, I hope to touch base with the more-simple (e.g. less math-intensive) areas that makes me like this subject so much.

Here is what I hope this area of study will cover:
 * materials
 * manufacturing (low volume, from prototypes to a few thousand pieces a year)
 * fasteners
 * bearings
 * gears and power transmission
 * CAD
 * motor selection
 * sensor selection

Regards, Polikmus 17 March 2007, 9 pm (CST)