Design & Manufacturing
Mechanical Engineering
University of Michigan
Version 02, Updated 1/8/14
Design and Manufacturing I
ME250 – Winter 2014
Course description
Creating and making things is what engineers do. Students in ME250 develop engineering thinking and basic
mechanical engineering skills in design and manufacturing. We study design processes, CAD and engineering
drawings, free-hand sketching and ideation techniques, material selection, mechanical elements (e.g., gears,
bearings, springs, motors), manufacturing processes, hands-on machine tool practice, and prototype fabrication.
Lectures address these topics and skills using theory and in-class exercises, and laboratory sessions provide
additional practice. Students integrate their thinking and skills in a semester-long team project involving the
conceptualization, design, analysis, and fabrication of remote-controlled vehicles that can compete in the “M-Ball”
game. Project work leads to a series of competitive matches, with the Final Four M-Ball games taking place during
the College of Engineering Design Expo at the end of the semester.
Lectures include in-class individual and team work. Laboratory sections include instruction and practice in
CAD modeling (SolidWorks), free-hand sketching, machine shop fabrication (including drilling, milling, turning,
laser/waterjet cutting), and they provide ample time for ad-hoc design reviews , “Design Workshops” and
individual discussions, with the instructors. Each team receives the same kit of materials and components, rules
governing the size and capability of the machines, and the parameters of the game.
During the first half of the semester, students learn to apply a rigorous design process to quantitatively and
qualitatively compare design options, and to justify their choices. After the midterm design review presentation,
the students proceed to the detailed design of their machine, and develop and present engineering drawings before
beginning fabrication. Milestones and risk assessments are emphasized to guide the teams along the intense pace
of the course toward a successful and exciting fulfillment of their goals!
Active participation in the lectures and laboratory sessions is mandatory and a significant part of the final
grade.
Course goals
1. Experience a design process that encompasses creative engineering thinking grounded on analysis and good
sense.
2. Learn to visualize parts and assemblies in 2D and 3D, to communicate design ideas using free-hand
sketching, CAD models, engineering drawings with appropriate dimensions, tolerances, and specifications,
and to document work in technical reports.
3. Learn fundamental design principles, become familiar with basic materials and mechanical elements, and
learn the practice and limitations of basic prototyping and manufacturing tools.
4. Learn to assess and manage project risks, milestones and schedules, and develop team collaboration and
leadership skills.
5. Attain a professional demeanor, appreciate safe shop practices, and maintain high ethical standards.
6. Develop systems thinking and integrate a diversity of skills in a challenging and fun open-ended design
project.
Lectures
Tu/Th, 9:00-10:30am, Stamps Auditorium (Walgreen Drama Center, North Campus). Full and on-time attendance
is required.
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Laboratory Sections
M/W, 9:30-5:30 (1-hour sections begin every hour at XX:40)
CAD sessions will be in room 1620A Beyster (BBB Building)
DW (Design Workshop)/project sessions in the ME250 shop (Room 1185 GGB)
Machine shop, 1119 GGB (for training and project work)
M-F 8am-5pm. Extended hours will be announced during the project period.
You will be permitted to work on your ME250 project in the ME machine shop starting Monday, March
17
th
.
You may not work in the machine shop until you have completed training and the mill/lathe exercises (see
below).
Attendance policy
You must attend lectures and lab sessions, and arrive on time. If you must miss a lecture or lab, please
inform your section GSI ahead of time.
You must behave professionally during lecture and lab sessions; the use of mobile devices should be only
for course purposes.
If you reserve a time slot in the machine shop and miss your reservation, this will negatively
influence your team’s project grade.
Your attendance will have influence on your grade.
Assignment and grading policy
Late assignments will not be accepted unless you have made prior arrangements.
Questions on assignment scores must be brought to the attention of staff within one week after the
assignment is returned. Write your question on a sheet of paper and staple it to the front of the assignment.
Lecture (in-class) assignments must be completed on your own, with no discussion with your classmates,
unless instructed otherwise.
Homework assignments must be completed on your own. However,
o You are encouraged to discuss the subject matter with your classmates but you must independently
formulate your solution.
o You may not compare your solution with your classmates.
o You must submit the solution individually.
Collaboration and discussion of solutions to the design milestones (MS) is encouraged, although you, or
your team, must individually prepare and submit your work. It is quite obvious to the staff when your
submission does not reflect your independent thought and analysis!
Violation of this policy is violation of the honor code (http://www.engin.umich.edu/students/honorcode/) and
may be grounds for initiating action before the College of Engineering’s Honor Council. If you have any
questions about this policy, please contact the staff.
Lab safety
Safe use of the ME 250 lab facilities and equipment is a primary concern and responsibility of ALL users.
Everyone must follow the safety and equipment procedures without fail. Please carefully read the shop
rules, to be distributed by the technicians.
Everyone without exception must take four training sessions for the machine shop (cutting/drilling,
milling, turning, and precision measurement). This requires online registration as described during the
first lecture. You must provide documentation of your training before the design review or you will
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automatically receive a grade of zero for the project, i.e., you will fail the class. When coming to the
training sessions, enter the machine shop through room 1119 GG Brown.
Important Dates
January 24 (Fri) Deadline to finish machine shop training
January 27 (Mon) Project Teams are formed
February 13 (Thu) Exam 1 (Individual, during class time)
February 24 and 26 (Mon/Wed) Project Design Review
March 17 (Mon) Building machine in ME shop starts
March 27 (Thu) Exam 2 (Individual, during class time)
April 16 (Wed) Performance test of machines,
and Shipping Day (Machines inspected and locked until Expo)
April 17 (Thu) M-Ball Contest at Design Expo
April 22 (Tue) Final report due
Note: The ME250 schedule and list of assignments (Google spreadsheet) is the official reference for due dates.
Any changes to due dates will be reflected there, and no new syllabus will be distributed.
Course materials
Notes and readings via http://ctools.umich.edu, MECHENG 250 001 W14
Coursepack: The ME250 Coursepack, available from Dollar Bill Copying on Church Street for $34.25, is
required. A coursepack from a previous semester is acceptable.
Schedule and list of assignments (including
due dates)
http://bit.ly/19F5BBC
Kit contents
http://bit.ly/WdIByr
Rules of the M-BALL game
http://bit.ly/1dnbZhZ
Control system documentation
http://bit.ly/WJO54F
Suggested suppliers for extra components
http://bit.ly/92baHI
Office hours
http://bit.ly/1eCP0hK
Peer Evaluations
Confidential peer evaluations will be completed after the design expo, and can contribute from 0% to 10% to
your individual course grade. If you contribute ≈equally, you will get 50 points; thus, in this nominal case the
peer evaluation will not affect your grade. Your peer evaluation score will be assigned based on your %
contribution to the project, which will be calculated as the average of the scores reported individually by your
team members (including yourself). If there is a significant disparity in effort on your team, please make the
staff aware of the issue as early as possible. For a 4-person team, the points will be assigned as follows:
% contribution
points
<15%
0
15-16.5
10
16.5-18
20
18-20
30
20-23
40
23-27
50
27-30
60
4
30-32
70
32-33.5
80
33.5-35
90
>35
100
Teams of 3 students will be evaluated by the staff on a case-by-case basis, recognizing that the load is greater
than a 4-person team. We cannot predict the grade distribution; however, based on past semesters it is likely
that a 5% difference in your total course grade will make a difference of one or two letter grade steps.
If you do not submit your evaluation, you will receive zero points for your peer evaluation score for that
segment of the course.
Grading
Homework assignments 10 %
See “Assignment and grading policy” above
Exam 1 15 %
Exam 2 15 %
Design Project 60 %
Milestones 1-4, design process 10 %
Milestone 5, design review 15 %
Milestones 6-9, engineering + manufacturing 10 %
Machine (milestone 10) 10 %
Final report 10 %
Peer evaluations 5 %
Lab attendance will also have an impact on your grade. Missing a lab section (without prior approval from the
instructors) will negatively affect your grade.
Note: We cannot predict the grade distribution; however, based on past semesters it is likely that a 5%
difference in your total course grade will make a difference of one or two letter grade steps.
Instructional staff
Prof. Kazu Saitou, Instructor
kazu@umich.edu
Office: 3211 EECS
Mr. Mike Umbriac, Instructor
mum[email protected]
Mr. Toby Donajkowski, ME Design & Systems Engineer
[email protected]
Mr. Bob Coury, ME Machine Shop Director
hornet@umich.edu
Mr. Mark Stock, ME Machine Shop Technician
mwstock@umich.edu
Mr. Andrew Kuo, GSI
andkuo@umich.edu
5
Ms. Emily Matula, GSI
emmatula@umich.edu
Mr. Yihao Zheng, GSI
yhzheng@umich.edu
Mr. Robert Eastman, GSI
eastmanr@umich.edu
Mr. Jihun Kim, GSI
jihun@umich.edu