Throughout the Michaelmas and Lent terms first year undergraduate students have timetabled Workshop practicals. During these practicals all students are required to build a simple structure from sheet metal and angle. Upon completion, the structure is instrumented and then loaded to destruction in the Structures Laboratory.
Part of this project requires students to design and build a structure to meet set course criteria. On completion of a design specification for the problem, students use the Workshops sheet metal facilities to build a model of their design. Once complete the structure is tested in the Structures Laboratory.
To provide background knowledge for this course the Department's Workshops arrange practical sessions where students are able to gain a basic knowledge of some of the machining processes that may be used in the manufacture of a small engine. The practical content of the course enables students to appreciate the following:
On completion of the course one of the designs is selected and manufactured by Workshop technicians.
To complement the design, computer modelling, finite element analysis and machine tool programming covered in the course, the Workshops provide a practical session where students are given the opportunity to run programs written using the Department's Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software and manufacture the part they have designed, modelled and analysed.
In previous years the theme of this course has been:
The Department's Workshops support the Manufacturing Engineering Tripos (MET) during years 1 and 2 by providing the following practical sessions:
During each of the above sessions students are given the opportunity to gain practical experience to support their academic studies.
Supervision and instruction is provided by Workshops technicians.
