How do you keep yourself updated/Refreshed

[msiva2305]

Hi all,
I am a Mechanical Engineer with a Master's. Almost all of my Stint with Mechanical Engineering was a lot of theory in school and very little practical exposure. I have been in front of the computer (Pro/E) most of the time. I consider myself a poor practical engineer. Although i know the business my company is into, i do not have a general practical engineering sense. FOr example, i cannot tell the difference between where to use a helical spring and a belleville spring.I would like to strengthen myself in this area. How do you all do it. I am sure someone out there would have been like me and got out of it. I am looking for some help here.
Thanks
Siva

 

[romulus2009]

Some engineering jobs are more hand-on than others, and engineering school usually leaves engineerings without hands-on experience, and if they find a job that puts them in front of a PC, then they will never really get a true practical understanding of engineering.

I'd say if you have a chance to get out to the field do so, they say the best teachers are the machinery/equipment itself.

I am a bit on the same boat, and my plan is to take some courses from companies with hands-on laboratory time, as well as going to try to get out to the sites/plants whenever I can.

R

 

[ctopher]

I agree, hands on is the way to go. Make some friends in the machine shop, assembly, inspection, and other areas; you can, over time, learn a lot from them. This is how I learned. You can't learn a lot of this stuff in school.
Also, become your own handyman fixing things around home. You can learn the basics of how hardware works together and what tools are used.

Chris
SolidWorks 08, CATIA V5
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion

 

[KENAT]

Hands on is good.

You can also learn a lot from senior colleagues, especially those in their 50's & 60's. The font of knowledge these guys have accumulated is often astonishing.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484

 

[MechEng2005]

I agree, find people with dirty hands and talk to them. Try to give a hand where you can, even if it's just sticking bolts in while the shop guy wiggles a piece into place. (Lesson 1: Oversized and slotted holes).

If your products are manufactured onsite where you work, go talk with the guys in the shop putting it together. Ask if they'd do things differently, what they think could be improved, etc. If you aren't under pressure to get things done for a deadline, ask BEFORE they start making it. They seem much happier when they can avoid headaches than when you give them a headache and then try to make it better for next time.

-- MechEng2005

 

[KENAT]

" (Lesson 1: Oversized and slotted holes)."

Or alternatively, properly tolerancing your parts not relying on some kind of default tols. However, that's crazy talk for another forum.

KENAT,

Have you reminded yourself of faq731-376 recently, or taken a look at posting policies:

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm?

What is Engineering anyway: faq1088-1484

 

[SomptingGuy]

We have lunchtime seminars where I work. Engineers from other departments & areas get to present what they're doing to the internal community at large. An hour's interesting presentation, some sandwiches, a bit of internal networking, some straight answers to tough questions, all very healthy and good.

- Steve

 

[msquared48]

This forum / sleep

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[drawoh]

msiva2305,

I have used stacks of belleville washers and I have used the blue, medium strength die springs on optics mounts. The difference between them is that for a given deflection range and force, the die springs use less height, and are only one piece. The blue paint looks nice, too.

I know this because I did the calculations. This is how practical experience works. I have had some art training, so my opinions on blue paint are authoritative, of course.

When you send out fabrication drawings, ask the fabricators how clear they are. You do not need to be a master machinist or welder. You just need to understand their requirements.

Ask your end-users how your stuff works. Either you will learn how to improve your work, or you will learn where the gaps in your knowledge are so that you can look it up.

JHG

 

[MechEng2005]

Kenat,

I did not mean to imply that oversized or slotted holes are ALWAYS the solution. I don't disregard the value of properly dimensioning and tolerancing. I was thinking of a large, heavy piece though. In that case, I would much rather have a 1/4" oversized hole that has a position that varies within +/-1/16" than specify a hole that is 1/16" oversized and has to be located within 1/32". The tighter tolerance will just add to the precision required to produce it, and it will still be harder to get the bolts in than with the 1/4" oversized holes. So, if the oversized holes function better, why not use them?

-- MechEng2005

 

[Ron]

A shower helps.

 

[FeX32]

... and body wash

Fe