The Manufacturer of the Turning Center
The machine tool producer, Haas Automation Incorporated, is the largest machine tool producer in the United States. Haas produces CNC machines that include vertical machining centers, horizontal machining centers, and turning centers. They also produce rotary tables and indexers. These tools are used in many machining production lines which could produce parts from bolts to aerospace components. Hass’s American operation is located in California and employs over 800 people at its 800,000 square-foot-facility. Hass has produced more than 75,000 CNC and rotary products worldwide. Also, as part of their promotional effort, Hass both sponsors and provides tools to NASCAR racers as part of the Hass Racing Team, thereby helping produce parts for some of the fastest cars in the world.
ME 401 - Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing
Mechanical Engineering also has a higher level elective class for juniors and seniors, ME 401 Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing, which teaches students the computer programs used in conjunction with machine tools to produce parts. As part of this class, the students create a program for the Haas turning center to produce small bolts out of bar stock. This program could actually be used in the industry, with a bar stock feeder, to automatically produce large number of bolts. The machine has the ability to run the program on an automated setting continuously over time. Thus students learn how to get their designs from paper to program, and then produced into a part. Again, this knowledge carries through to their future professions.
ME 321 - Industrial Processes
The Mechanical Engineering department first introduces freshmen and sophomore students to the machine shop and production methods by requiring them to attend ME 321 Industrial Processes. As part of the class, they study various production methods, properties of materials in regards to fabrication, and information on the various tool standards in the industry. A lab as part of the class produces small Stirling cycle engines in the shop at the direction of machinist Eric Johansen. This instruction is valuable as the students may one day work in an industrial plant, and be required to design products for use on a machining production line. Feedback from industry indicates that students, who have previous experience with actual hands-on manufacturing, excel at designing products and procedures for production lines.
Stirling Engines
The Stirling Engines the class builds are small enough to be held in your hands. The engines use heat (in this case via a propane torch, piston, and displacer) to propel a rotary shaft. These engines can be used in the real world to either provide rotary motion, or a reciprocating motion. These engines are basically a heat pump and operate taking advantage of a temperature variation. To produce the engines, a number of parts need to be manufactured which require a variety of machining processes. Each part produced helps give the students’ hands-on training with machining processes.
Research
The department uses the machine shop, turning center, and soon to be added vertical machining center to produce hardware for research projects of both the Mechanical Engineering department, and other departments in the College of Engineering and Mines. The scope ranges from cleaning up the threads on a damaged fastener to manufacturing new equipment. The turning center provides and the vertical machining center will provide valuable additional support to the research capability of the department.
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