ETP 2006 – Annette Beattie

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Design for EngineeringUnit 3 Engineering
Communication Annette BeattieJune 9,
2006Engineering Communication

• ETP 2006 Annette Beattie
• This material is based upon work supported by the
  National Science Foundation under Grant No.
  0402616. Any opinions, findings and conclusions
  or recommendations expressed in this material are
  those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
  reflect the view of the National Science
  Foundation (NSF).

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Engineering Communication

• Communicate - to send information so that it is
  satisfactorily received or understood.
• Here is a recording from a training tape on how
  guided missiles locate themselves and get to the
  target. Listen to see if this information is
  communicated as well as it could be.

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Engineering Communication

• Engineers need to be able to communicate
  thoughts, ideas, and plans to many other
  specialists in many different fields.
• Engineers work in teams with people from
  different backgrounds.
• Therefore, it is necessary to have a variety of
  communication skills. (VCSU, 2006)

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Communication Skills

• Interpersonal -
• Do you picture the engineer as the nerd in the
  corner with the pocket protector?
• Those days have passed.
• Engineering today means teamwork.
• The Thomas Edison mythology would not work on
  problems like the Manhattan Project. (VCSU, 2006)

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Communication Skills

• Written
• It may seem that engineering projects would be
  too technical to have much use for composition
  skills.
• However, in a survey of over 4000 practicing
  engineers, 99 listed composition courses as
  important for future engineers. (VCSU, 2006)

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Communication Skills

• Why?
• Engineers write proposals. They need to convince
  people to spend money on their projects.
• These shopping lists may be read by their
  immediate boss, the president of the company, a
  US Senator, the DOD (Department of Defense), etc.
• Engineers also write reports when a design change
  is needed or to explain a failure. (VCSU, 2006)

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Communication Skills

• Oral and Electronic Presentation -
• For the same reasons as listed for written
  skills, oral and electronic presentation skills
  are needed.
• The use of presentation software and hardware can
  vastly improve the effectiveness of an engineers
  report.
• This is especially important with regard to
  concurrent engineering. (VCSU, 2006)

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Concurrent Engineering

• Concurrent means occurring at the same time.
• Concurrent engineering is the process in which
  all aspects of the design process happen at the
  same time.
• Effective communication is critical.
• All aspects of design, manufacturing and support
  have to be coordinated. (VCSU, 2006)

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Concurrent Engineering

• Development teams are used to complete projects.
  The team effort
• Reduces development time
• Produces a faster time to market which equals
  increased market share
• Increases quality
• Increases productivity
• Eliminates costly and timely re-designs
• Lowers implementation risks
• (Berkeley, 1997)
• (VCSU, 2006)

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Mathematical Expression

• Recall from Unit 1 the math requirements for an
  engineering major.
• Math is an important tool that engineers use to
  determine design solutions.
• Math is also a method to express design
  solutions. (VCSU, 2006)

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Mathematical Expression

• A mathematical expression can be written in the
  form of a statement that can be translated into a
  formula and then tested.
• A simple example
• d distance, v velocity, t time
• vd/t
• A train travels 50 miles in 30 minutes. What is
  the velocity of the train? (VCSU, 2006)

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Mathematical Expression

• A picture is worth a thousand words
• Which is easier to interpret? The following table
  or graph?

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Mathematical Expression
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Mathematical Expression

• The information is the same in both the table and
  the chart.
• The chart clearly shows that during 1000 and
  200 the measurements increase.
• This is a replica of a situation in which the
  machine operator was leaning against his CNC
  machine during coffee break throwing his
  machining out of tolerance.
• The change in measurements were not associated
  with the change in time until it was put into
  chart format.

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Mathematical Expression

• As an engineer, it is critical to use the best
  expression of mathematics to clearly communicate
  with others.

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2-Dimensional Drafting Sketching

• Formerly referred to as drafting or engineering
  drafting (VCSU, 2006)
• (OCIW, 2003)

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2-Dimensional Drafting Sketching

• This form of communication has been an area of
  skill to engineers and architects for hundreds of
  years. (VCSU, 2006)

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2-Dimensional Drafting Sketching

• A drafting course would teach students to
• Print clearly and uniformly
• Create accurate and uniform dimensions
• Make object lines of uniform thickness to make
  center lines, dimension lines, hidden lines, etc.
  distinguishable. (VCSU, 2006)

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2-Dimensional Drafting Sketching

• The next objective was to represent objects with
  top, front, and side views.
• This is called orthographic projection. (VCSU,
  2006)

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2-Dimensional Drafting Sketching

• The next step was to teach isometric projection.

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Perspective Drawing

• 1 point perspective
• 2 point perspective
• 3 point perspective
• (Anime-by-Example,1998).

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2 Point Perspective

• (Anime-by-Example,1998).

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3 Point Perspective

• (Anime-by-Example,1998).

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2-Dimensional Drafting Sketching

• The idea behind teaching these skills (that is
  still valid today) is that many great inventions
  and products are first put down on paper on a
  napkin or the back of an envelope.
• Engineers are required to keep dated logbooks,
  including sketches to document who created an
  invention first.
• The award of patents are often dependant on these
  logs. (VCSU, 2006).

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2-Dimensional Drafting Sketching

• Even in 1987, engineering students at NDSU had to
  take a minimum of 2 quarters of engineering
  drafting producing drawings like the ones just
  shown with front, top, side and isometric views.
• The drafting course was one of the most
  challenging and often seen as a test of
  engineering determination - referred to as the
  weed out class. (VCSU, 2006).

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3 Dimensional Modeling

• Today (2006) the class offered at NDSU is
  Fundamentals of Visual Communications for
  Engineers A visual communications for design and
  manufacturing, computer-aided drawing and design,
  three-dimensional modeling and orthographic
  projections, geometric dimensioning and
  tolerancing (NDSU, n.d.)

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3 Dimensional Modeling

• 3-D modeling software is more productive at
  communicating a design concept.
• Technology has drastically changed the way we can
  communicate design ideas.
• Not everyone that engineers are selling their
  idea to can read a mechanical drawing. (VCSU,
  2006).

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3 Dimensional Modeling Characteristics

• Modeling provides a means of visually and
  virtually representing ideas.
• The term computer model describes a
  computer-generated perspective drawing. They are
  not physical models, but their realism allows
  them to play similar roles. (VCSU, 2006).

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3 Dimensional Modeling Characteristics

• Model building is a skill and process to
  translate designs into a visual form to be used
  for discussion, analysis, development, and
  testing. (VCSU, 2006).

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3 Dimensional Modeling Characteristics

• By creating a model on the computer, companies
  can save a great amount of time and money in
  development and redesign phases.
• The model can be designed, modeled, and tested on
  the computer before the first one is
  manufactured. This speeds up production. (VCSU,
  2006).

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3 Dimensional Modeling Characteristics

• After a model is created virtually, an actual
  physical model can be made through a computer
  controlled process called stereolithography.
• This uses lasers to trace out a part from a
  liquid polymer. Where the lasers intersect, the
  polymer hardens and forms the solid part of the
  model.
• Another process that sprays on layers of polymer
  is called Rapid Deposition Modeling (RDM). (VCSU,
  2006).

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Activity Sample

• Hand out Unit 3 Activity
• For your assignment, you will be in teams of two.
• Put together a power point presentation that you
  will give to the class per the handout provided.
• A sample of what you will put together is as
  follows

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Activity Sample1 point perspective

• Perspective is the geometrical technique in
  drawing that creates the illusion of
  three-dimensional space on a two-dimensional
  plane (your paper). It is a technique that uses
  overlapping, objects receding in space, horizon
  lines and vanishing points to create a feeling of
  depth.

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Activity Sample1 point perspective

• There is 1 point perspective, 2 point, 3 point,
  multi point, and no point.
• 1 point perspective has all lines converging on
  one vanishing point.

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Activity Sample1 point perspective

• The following is an example of an artists drawing
  from one point perspective that gives the
  feeling of looking into another room. It was
  painted by Santa Maria Novella circa 1428 and
  titled Trinity.

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Sources

• Anime-by-Example. (1998). Retrieved June 9, 2006
  from the website http//www.geocities.com/hamchob
  a/animex/3d.htm3-Point20Perspective
• Berkeley. (1997). Retrieved June 9, 2006 from the
  website http//best.me.berkeley.edu/pps/pps/ce_
  be.html
• North Dakota State University. (n.d.). Retrieved
  June 9, 2006 from the website http//www.ndsu.nod
  ak.edu
• Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of
  Washington. (2003). Retrieved June 9, 2006 from
  the website http//www.ociw.edu/instrumentation/c
  cd/imacs/images/SITE_MECH.JPG
• Valley City State University. (2006). Technology
  education 660 design for engineering unit 3
  reading assignment. Retrieved April 15, 2006 from
  the website http//www.vcsu.edu

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Standards

• Standard 8 Students will develop an
  understanding of the attributes of design.
• 8.H The design process includes defining a
  problem, brainstorming, researching and
  generating ideas, identifying criteria and
  specifying constraints, exploring possibilities,
  selecting an approach, developing a design
  proposal, making a model or prototype, testing
  and evaluating the design using specifications,
  refining the design, creating or making it, and
  communicating processes and results.
• Standard 12 Students will develop an
  understanding of and be able to select and use
  information and communication technologies.
• 12.L Document processes and procedures and
  communicate them to different audiences using
  appropriate oral and written techniques.
• 12.P Use computers and calculators to access,
  retrieve, organize, process, maintain, interpret,
  and evaluate date and information in order to
  communicate.
• Standard 17 Students will develop abilities to
  use and maintain technological products and
  systems.
• 17.P There are many ways to communicate
  information, such as graphic and electronic means.