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| From an interview completed in July 2008 |
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The Chubu University Department of Mechanical Engineering introduced 42 MDX-20 units for a CAD/CAM course required for third-year students. This course teaches students the importance of visualizing the end product to the design process. It also encourages an even greater interest in product design and production by allowing students to watch their own designs take shape.
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42 MDX-20 units are used in the spring semester CAD/CAM course required for third-year mechanical engineering students (term 1).
Every student owns a laptop and is required to take the following courses as prerequisites to the CAD/CAM course: "Descriptive Geometry” (1st year, Spring semester); "Machine Drawing A” (1st year, Fall); "Machine Drawing B” (2nd year, Spring); and "CAD Drawing” (2nd year, Fall). Students learn about the representation of 3D space in Descriptive Geometry, the basics of machine drawing in Machine Drawing A&B, and 2D CAD operations using AutoCAD in CAD Drawing.
During the first half of the CAD/CAM course, students use the 3D CAD software SolidWorks to learn basic operations and perform simple modeling of machine elements. The second half of the courses focuses on the design and production of parts that involve specific tasks. Students form groups of four or five for each task, with one student creating a part within the allotted time. The parts are then combined into a single project when completed. In addition to practical CAD/CAM training, there are applied computer engineering courses involving CAE and general mechanical engineering courses that leverage CATIA V5 for even more advanced CAD study.
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(Comment from Associate Professor Morihiko Saeki, July 2008)
The Tokai area, where Chubu University is located, has a number of companies involved in product design and production. As a result, most of the school’s graduates are hired by local employers. The corporate sector is pushing for deployment of 3D CAD, CAE and CAM technologies to cut manufacturing costs and increase manufacturing efficiency. However, there is a shortage of professionals who are skilled in these technologies. To prepare students for the challenges they will meet, Chubu University has established a learning environment supported by cutting-edge CAD/CAM/CAE technologies. The department upgraded its existing CAD learning facility in August 2007, deploying a 100-user AutoCAD license for 2D CAD, a 100-user SolidWorks license for basic 3D CAD, a 40-user CATIA V5 license for the study of advanced 3D CAD and a 20-user OrCAD license for the study of circuit design.
SolidWorks, CATIA and OrCAD all have a simulation feature, which makes it possible to study CAE. For CAM applications, the department introduced 1 FDM (fused deposition modeling) machine and 42 MODELA MDX-20 units. The MDX-20 subtractive RP machines allow students to immediately produce their designs.
The school’s decision to introduce the MDX-20 was also prompted by the fact that local companies manufacture products and molds using similar milling technologies at machining centers. Students need experience with this type of 3D milling equipment. Chubu University also wanted to incorporate 3D milling into the undergraduate engineering coursework, and needed high-performance machines that would prove economical when deployed across this large environment. The MDX-20, which had already performed well for the department, was selected.
In the CAD/CAM course, students learn how important visualizing the end product is to the design process. They develop this understanding through their experience designing and producing forms that meet the requirements of each task. Another goal of the course is to encourage an even greater interest in product design and production by enabling students to produce their own designs.
A majority of the students who complete this course give it high marks.
The time allotted for square edges, rough cuts and finishing is 70 minutes. Only the 3mm straight-end mill or the ball-end mill can be used for processing. The material is a 30mm x 30mm x 15mm block of modeling wax. Tools and parts must be completed with one chuck from start to finish. Students design within these requirements, determining the optimum form and production process.
Outside of coursework, MDX-20 machines are used by students to create parts for their graduation projects and also for the robots for used in the RoboCup soccer small-size robot league.
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Dr. Morihiko Saeki,
Associate Professor
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