Engineering at home

  Research into the basics of CNC   The main method of part programme creation is G-code, this is the most widely use programming language in the engineering industry.  The machine control unit (MCU) acts as the centre of a CNC system as it is used to perform functions such as: Reading coded instructions Decoding these instructions Putting interpolations into place in order to generate axis motion commands Receiving signals of position and speed  Data can be transferred to and from the machine by using wired or wireless network connections in many modern machines, other methods of data transferring includes Bluetooth and using standard V24, RS232, or RS485 serial interfaces.  Datum positioning can be done in a number of ways, one of the more common ways which does not require expensive equipment but is still accurate is using a dowel pin. To do this you go to an external edge using shim paper and slowly moving the dowel pin in until the dowel touches the shim on...

Evaluation on the impact of legislation and standards on the design process in relation to the profitability of the business      Legislation and standards can impact the profits of companies in many ways, an example of this would be if O-Sep would not follow the health and safety tests on their designs then they may be fined, this would affect the profits of the company. Copyright laws on designs may also affect O-sep, if they were to design an alarm system that is based on an alarm system of another company that is copyrighted then they can be fined large amounts of money.    An example of legislation in the design process that impacts the profitability of the business is EN 50131-1. This legislation states that components that are used must be classified safe for the environmental classification and must be given a security grading, this may mean that more expensive components must be used as the components must suit EN 50131-1. The design process may also be...

The possible impact of a poor customer design process on customer relationships and requirements      Poor design process can have serious negative effects on a company relationship with their customers. A common occurrence in business is poor communication between the customer and the business. Poor communication in the customer design process may involve improper consideration of information passed on by the customer, this means the completed product is likely to not be of the standard/specifications requested. This can be caused by lack of technical specification or the company simply not following the technical specification, this is due to the technical specification being the most important part in the design process due to it containing so much vital information. If the technical specification is not used/followed then the end product is very likely to not match the customer’s requirements. A finished product that doesn’t match the customer’s requirements will like...

DiscoverDesign process model   The DiscoverDesign process is a six part design model which allows engineers to follow a specified route throughout their designing. The six parts are listed and described below:     1.Define the Problem The beginning always starts with defining the problem as without knowing the problem you cannot work for improvement. 2. Collect Information This step involves collecting data which may be in the form of sketches, photographs and information from recourses such as manuals. The information gathered can help you to further understand the problem and can help in further steps. 3. Brainstorm and Analyse Ideas By sketching your own ideas following the information that you have already collected you are able to create ideas to create a solution for the problem.  4. Develop Solutions The fourth step involves forming your preliminary ideas into smaller design solutions, this is so that you can make more effective designs. 5. Gather Feedback By ...

How 3D CAD models can be used in the design process ⦁ 3D CAD models can be used to replace the manual drafting processes with a more automated process, it allows you to visualize the design from different angles and analyse the feasibility of its working. By visualizing the design you can easily spot and flag mistakes in it and witness the entire design before it has been manufactured so it removes some of the need for rapid prototyping. ⦁ A wide variety of 3D software can be used for different types of simulation, mechanical design and analysis. Kinematics programs have many different tools which allow you to test the way that a part functions and allows you to see it working before it is manufactured, this can be extremely effective for spotting issues with how the parts function with each other as sometimes there are collisions in moving parts. Some of this software has a tool called the mechanism tool which will automatically tell you if it thinks the parts are not interacting ...

Justification of investing in CAD for engineering companies CAD is an investment for companies, it is on average £3000 for a licence for software. This, however is not the only thing you have to buy as CAD users must be sufficiently trained to use it effectively, another thing to consider is the cost of buying a computer that is powerful enough to run the software as it is very demanding on hardware. However, once you have invested in the training it will last forever or possibly until new and improved software is introduced and the computer should last for several years (usually around 5) before either needing to be upgraded or replaced. Although CAD may be an expensive investment in the first place it will not take long to make the money invested back and turn it into a profit. The main reason for the investment being made back quickly is how much production speed is increased, one of these reasons is the commands such as array and copy which allow parts to be produced not only faste...

Hand drawn (sketches and orthographic drawings)        One major advantage of hand drawn designs is that it does not require any special training to do unlike other processes, this means that for quick drawings in the workshop they can be completed by anyone, even if they are not a trained design engineer. Unlike some CAD drawings, these hand drawn designs cannot be tested so you cannot gather vital information such as weight and conduct strength tests like you can when using CAD, this can have a major impact on the finished product as there is a higher chance of it having to go through redesign. Manual calculation is needed to work out cost calculations which can be quite time consuming and has risk of human error. In comparison to other methods, manual drawings are extremely time consuming especially if you have to draw out parts that are very similar with small differences as with CAD you can just copy the parts and add the differences in with ease.    ...

Outside corner weld job report   Before turning the welder on I made sure that it was in a safe working condition, this involves checking any connections were secure, checking that there was no live wires showing through the cables and checking that the valve on the gas cylinder was secure. The material that I used for this job was 1.6mm mild steel sheet, I used two pieces of 50x150mm.   The first step in the outside corner weld is to tack weld them into place, this involves making an equal gap along the corner of the two pieces along the length. I placed one tack weld on one end of the material making sure that the gap was the correct size (similar to the thickness of the 1mm filler wire I was using). I placed one tack weld at one end so it would not be so affected by distortion and so that I could easily manipulate the other end to make the gap equal.  I then placed a small tack at the other end and I then placed small tack welds (small enough so that they will not be s...

Tee weld job report    Before turning the welder on I made sure that it was in a safe working condition, this involves checking any connections were secure, checking that there was no live wires showing through the cables and checking that the valve on the gas cylinder was secure. The material that I used for this job was 1.6mm mild steel sheet, I used two pieces of 50x150mm. The first step in the tee-weld is to tack weld them into place, this involves securing the top plate at a 90 degree angle from the bottom plate. I placed one tack weld in the centre of the plates and then I quickly added a tack onto each end of the material to minimise distortion. After this I then placed small tack welds (small enough so that they will not be seen after the weld has been complete) with equal distances of around 20mm across the length.     Before final welding I checked that the joint was accurate, this involved checking that the plates were square on the ends and that the ...

          Teaching myself to weld a 'Butt weld' at home Various welding joins   I have always wanted to be able to use a TIG welder as I believe it would come in hand for various applications - my car with rusted out wheel arches being one! I decided to teach myself a few types of simple welds so that I can successfully weld and repair my cars arches. Below is the entire process of a weld performed.   Before turning the welder on I made sure that it was in a safe working condition, this involves checking any connections were secure, checking that there was no live wires showing through the cables and checking that the valve on the gas cylinder was secure.   The material that I used for this job was 1.6mm mild steel sheet, I used two pieces of 50x150mm. The first step in the butt-weld is to tack weld them into place, this involves making an equal gap in the centre of the two pieces along the length. I placed one tack weld on one end of the materia...