SCUPI derby - A new approach to "introduction to mechanical design"

Abstract

The sophomore class of "Introduction to Mechanical Design" in SCUPI is rather unique in the sense that it pairs a traditional mechanical design class with an English writing class that is centered on technical writing. To the best knowledge of the authors, this has never been experimented in other institutes. To provide the best learning experience for our students and to take advantage of the MakerSpace (a new facility that was recently set up in SCUPI), the idea of a SCUPI Derby, which was modeled after the well-known US Boy Scouts' Pinewood Derby [1], was assigned to our students as the final project. What is different from the Pinewood Derby is that the model car of our project would be made from 3D printing instead of elaborating on a pinewood block. To prepare our students for this challenging task, SolidWorks has been used as the main design tool. Not only the concept of concurrent engineering was introduced in the early stage of the class, but also the technology about rapid prototyping has been emphasized throughout the semester. Basic concepts of fluid mechanics and vehicle dynamics were also supplemented in the regular classroom discussion of mechanical design. In addition, research skills aimed at helping students search for information that could lead to better composition of their project report as well as improved design of their model car were discussed in the technical writing part. The experience that our students gained from this class would be invaluable for their future career. This could be seen from the excitement and energy they displayed on the day of the SCUPI Derby as well as the sophomore conference. They witnessed how a well-thought design could be realized and turned into a wonderful product in life. It gives them the first taste of the design realization as well as the true meaning of engineering.