Final Reflection

         From the onset of the ME 250 course it became evident that the course's subject matter focused directly on engineering principles of design, manufacture, and test. From the very first lectures, I was explained how this procedure allows a team to begin at point A, where a problem or task is identified, and end up at point B, the final product. To get to the final product, however, a "bridge" must be constructed in order to cross over. This bridge, metaphorically speaking, is one which is constructed from a series of links, and this called the engineering design process. In this course, I learned how to build this bridge. 

         In regard to the design and manufacturing in this course, I learned that it is important to complete the design in its entirety before any manufacturing can begin. This seems like an obvious statement, but until this course, I didn't realize how crucial it really is. I am specifically referring to the mathematical analysis behind the torque calculations and extensive design of the physical machine in order to satisfy the parameters that our strategy encompassed. Before this course, I would have opted to manufacture the machine first and then attempt to choose a motor and gear ratio by testing a few combinations, thereof. Thankfully, the process was carried out contrary to my (amateur) instinct, where all the meticulous calculations were done beforehand, and because of this, no altercation of which motor and gear ratio we needed to use was performed. The implementation of CAD performed on Solidworks allowed us to agree and modify certain design aspects as well as double check that pieces align properly. As far as the manufacturing of the machine is concerned, I learned the importance of tolerances and how they impact the interaction between machine pieces after they are put together, i.e. the meshing of the gears, and clearance hole fits for screws, bearings, and shafts, but not so much the actual use of the Mill and Lathe due to some prior experience with the Baja team. Time management and teamwork was key to keep our progress moving at a constant pace as well as making this project very bearable, if not exciting . Although time management of our team proved not to be our strong point, we were still able to complete tasks on time, using each other to motivate such progress, as well as address any issues that arose. Our team worked together well, especially because certain strengths of team members accounted for weaknesses of others, and vice versa. All in all, I learned that teamwork and time management is absolutely vital for engineering projects such as this, as opposed to it being completed individually.

         As far as the course is concerned, I thought it was put together very constructively. I am thankful for the coursework in the beginning of the term which taught us background knowledge and theory behind the manufacturing process and engineering elements. The posted lecture slides were very useful throughout the term and contained all the necessary information, however, were not specific enough in what certain assignments asked for, especially when it came to torque calculations. The material was there, but it felt like certain elements had to have been "fished" for . Also, the Mill and Lathe availability was too low and our team was often scrutinized to reserve enough time in the shop. For next year, I would hope that the shop hours would be extended from the very beginning of the manufacturing process, as opposed to later, especially because ME 250, 350, and 450 must share the shop. This way, it would take away elements of stress on the teams especially if some unforeseeable problem arises. 

         I felt that my performance in the class was very adequate and that our machine benefited from my input. However, I certainly would like to become more experienced and independent at using Solidworks to CAD as I feel that is my weakness. Furthermore, I regret starting some of the milestone assignments so close to the deadline. Were it the contrary, there would have been less stress amongst our teammates and contributed to a smoother experience. It has been a pleasure working with my team and am very proud of our final product, even though we fell out of the competition in fourth seed. With the experience gained from this project, I am eager to continue to ME 350