Syllabus

Course Meeting Times

Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session

Textbook

Whitney, Daniel E. Mechanical Assemblies: Their Design, Manufacture, and Role in Product Development. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN: 9780195157826.

Course Goals

While much is written about the design and manufacture of individual parts, there is surprisingly little information about how those parts go together into a product that actually does something. This course addresses the following question: What is a competently designed assembly, and how would we know one if we saw one? Specific objectives for students include:

• Understand a systematic approach to analyzing assembly problems.
• Appreciate the many ways assembly influences product development and manufacturing.
• See a complete approach that includes technology, systems engineering, and economic analysis.
• Get a feeling for what is technologically feasible.
• Practice the systematic process on a semester-long project of your own.

Prerequisites

2.008

Course Mechanics

• Class lectures and discussions
• Readings for each class session
• A project to be done in phases during the term
• Homework
  • 6 project reports ~ 2 weeks apart
  • 4 problem sets
• A mid-term and a final project presentation
• No quizzes or final exam

Grading