A Collaborative, Cross-Disciplinary Project between Engineering Courses and Programs Centered on Design for Manufacturability

Abstract

This manuscript describes a collaborative, cross-disciplinary effort between the B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering program and the B.S. in Plastics Engineering program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. In one course, plastics engineering students are tasked with incorporating design for manufacturability (DFM) in the design of a plastic component and injection mold that will later be machined by a separate course that contains manufacturing engineering and plastics engineering students. After completion of the injection mold, it is utilized by the part designers (plastics engineers) to mold the components they designed. Eight groups in each class work together on separate projects in and out of class. Checklists are utilized to ensure design criteria are met while staying within the scope of the project and the capabilities of the university laboratories. The end result is a real-world experience of the working relationship between a customer and a supplier, complete with design meetings, compromise, and a finished injection mold to mass-produce the designed component.