Manufacturing Processes Laboratories (ME 8) 

Courses:

Primary Course:

MFG 108L Manufacturing Processes Laboratory

Secondary Courses:

MFG 204L Materials and Processes Laboratory
MFG 431 Controls for Industrial Automation
MFG 432 Plastics and Composites
MCT 336L Fluid Power Lab
MCT 423 Product Development
MCT 430 Design of Fluid Power Systems

The primary function of the manufacturing processes lab is to allow the department to meet the goals set forth in the course description for MFG 108L. The goals at this time are:

1. To acquaint the student with the basic machining processes, machining tools, cutting tools, tool materials, and work piecematerials.

2. To provide experience that will acquaint the students with the effect of cutting speeds, cutting feeds, cutting tool geometry,cutting tool materials, and coolants on surface finish and dimensional accuracy.

The laboratory space is divided into three areas: the central bay of 1914 square feet primarily houses metal cutting machinery;a 320 square feet isolated room houses metal grinders and two woodworking machines (used in support of special projects); a 475 square feet tool and stock room.

The number and variety of metal cutting machines is be choice sufficient to meet the present course goals with a maximum classsize of twelve students. There is no plan to increase the class size beyond twelve. The lab supports an average of five MFG 108L sections per year, and an average of seven Mechanical Engineering MEE 310L sections per year.

The laboratory equipment includes: 10 lathes, 3 surface grinders,1 horizontal milling machine, 4 vertical milling machines, 2 shapers,5 drill presses, 1 band saw, 1 jig borer, 1 power hacksaw, 2 arcwelders, 1 thirty-two ton and 1 five ton punch presses, 1 profileprojector, 1 Rockwell hardness tester, 1 induction heater, 1 seventy-five ton plastic injection molder, 1 3/4" plastic extruder.

Materials Testing/Metallurgy/Structural Mechanics (KL 193)

Courses:

Primary Course:

MCT 204L Manufacturing Materials and Processes
MCT 333L Mechanical Measurements
MCT 445L Experimental Mechanics
MEE 312L Materials Laboratory

Secondary Courses:

MCT 440 Mechanical Vibrations
MCT 221 Strength of Materials
MCT 423 Product Development
MEE 423L Mechanical Engineering Lab

The materials lab is the focal point for several courses. The newly developed Manufacturing Materials and Processes Lab (MFG 204L) conducts most of their experiments here as does the structural mechanics portion of Mechanical Measurements (MCT 333L). The room contains hardness testers, heat treat furnaces and quench unit, an impact tester, a tensile tester, metallography equipment, strain gage instrumentation and photoelasticity polariscopes.

Fluid Power and Controls Laboratory (KL 362)

Courses:

Primary Course:

MCT 336L Fluid Power Laboratory
MFG 431 Controls for Industrial Automation

Secondary Courses:

MCT 430 Design of Fluid Power System
EET 358 Microcontrollers
EET 459 Microprocessor Systems Design
EET 464 Programmable Logic Controllers

The Fluid Power and Controls lab is well equipped for instruction in two courses; MCT 336L and MFG 431. The equipment is itemized on the respective course descriptions. This facility also supports MCT 430, a technical elective.

Equipment includes a variety of fluid power and control devices and power units typical of modern industrial and mobile machinery. The devices are of three condition levels and serve three purposes, namely, for take-down observation, for circuit fabrication and operation, and for component testing. The most obvious pieces of equipment in the room are five power units, five test benches, and two lab tables. Small tools, instrument fittings, and supplies are stored in the tool room. Some components are stored under the benches. An equipment room houses other components, instruments, and the fluid power reference library of industry catalogs and performance data. Support equipment, hand tools and instruments are available. Class size is limited to fifteen.

Lab exercises are continually being reevaluated and improved. New devices are incorporated as acquired. The course MCT 336L, is required in two programs, namely MFG and MCT. The MCT 430 course is a technical elective.

Dimensional Metrology Laboratory (KL 405)

Courses:

Primary Course:

MFG 206L Dimensional Metrology
MEE 310L Machining Laboratory

Secondary Courses:

MFG 204L Materials and Processes
MCT 336L Fluid Power

This lab is very well equipped with state-of-the-art devices ranging from fixed and functional gages through optical and electronic high amplification instruments. The equipment is maintained n excellent operating condition and in a protective, orderly fashion. The room is well lighted, attractive, and clean. Class size is limited to twelve (six teams of two).

The lab is used for the MFG 206L course taken by all students majoring in Manufacturing, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Technology, and for the course MEE 310L taken by all Mechanical Engineering students. The equipment is frequently borrowed for use in other courses and in friendly support of the UD Research Institute.

The lab exercises are continually being re-evaluated and improved with special emphasis being placed on Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing. Duplicate sets of basic, lower cost instruments, allow for the students to perform similar experiments during the first half of the course. During the later half of the term the students, in teams of two, go through a round-robin series of experiments using one-of-a-kind (expensive) instruments.

The development of this laboratory has over the years received significant support and constructive advice from the units' Industrial Advisory Committee. Accordingly, the plan is to acquire high amplification instruments capable of measuring and recording part and surface geometry such as roundness, runout, and linear profile.