Interdisciplinary Automated Manufacturing Laboratory for theElectro-Mechanical Engineering Technology Program

工业需要能够在产品和生产系统的设计、安装和维修中结合使用电气和机械概念的技术毕业生。为副学士毕业生准备这个职位是很困难的，因为四个学期对于两个学科的广泛教育来说太短了。为了解决这个问题，工程技术系修改了副学士级别的三门课程，包括连接这两种技术的基本概念，并引入了一个新的四年制学位课程——机电工程技术理学学士。培训问题的解决产生了两个主要的教学问题。第一个问题是在三门课程中使用的传递内容的方法。虽然课程涵盖了产品设计和生产系统设计，并混合了电气和机械概念，但没有努力在课程中使用相同的产品示例。第二个问题有两个组成部分：(1)系里没有一个自动化制造系统，学生可以在这个系统上学习解决与这些系统相关的机电集成问题；(2)如果一个系统是为培训而建的，那么用单一的生产机器和独一无二的制造系统来教授标准的16名学生的实验室部分是很困难的。该项目包括两项举措，克服了与机电概念交叉培训和在传统实验室部分使用大型自动化制造系统相关的教学交付问题。该项目的重点是将产品设计问题整合到制造课程中，并开发一个实验室系统，使16名学生的标准实验室班级能够有效地使用单个生产机器和独一无二的制造系统。第二个问题很重要，因为许多大学在实验室中增加了制造系统，但很少解决与标准实验室中独一无二的硬件相关的培训问题。

There is a need in industry for technology graduates who can use a combination of electrical and mechanical concepts in the design, installation, and servicing of products and production systems. Preparing Associate Degree graduates for this role is difficult because 4 semesters is too short for extensive education in both disciplines. The Engineering Technology Department has addressed this problem by modifying three courses offered at the Associate Degree level to include basic concepts that bridge the two technologies and introducing a new 4-year degree program, Bachelor of Science in Electro-Mechanical Engineering Technology. The solution to the training problem created two major pedagogical problems. The first problem was the method used to deliver the content in the three courses. While the courses covered both product design and production system design and had a mix of electrical and mechanical concepts, there was no effort to use the same product examples in the courses. The second problem had two components: (1) the department did not have an automated manufacturing system on which students could learn to solve the electromechanical integration problems associated with these systems and (2) if a system was built for training, it would be difficult to teach standard 16-student laboratory sections with single production machines and one-of-a-kind manufacturing systems. This project includes two initiatives that overcome the instructional delivery problems associated with cross training in electromechanical concepts and the use of large automated manufacturing systems in traditional laboratory sections. The project focuses on the integration of a product design problem into manufacturing courses and the development of a laboratory system that permits standard laboratory class sizes of 16 students to effectively use single production machines and a one-of-a-kind manufacturing system. The second problem is significant because many colleges add manufacturing systems to laboratories, but few address the training issues associated with the one-of-a-kind hardware in standard laboratory sections.