WHAT IS ENGINEERING?
WHAT IS ENGINEERING?
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As introduced in the video, the field of engineering involves the practical application of technology, science, and mathematical concepts to solve real-world problems and improve quality of lives. An engineer innovates to look for creative solutions, designs to meet users' needs, and constructs to bring ideas to life.
The works of engineers can be found everywhere around you! From your wireless earphones to the satellites systems, from bicycles to rockets, engineers constantly push for breakthroughs and explore possibilities to make things work!
For Design & Build challenge, you will explore the concepts in engineering and apply them to create solutions to the problems in the given secret scenario. While it might not be possible to show you everything about engineering, we would like to introduce key engineering concepts that will be useful for your learning.
Adopting Engineering Analysis
Adopting Engineering Analysis
In Design Thinking, Ideate is the stage that encourages you to think creatively and seek different approaches to brainstorm numerous solutions. However, not all solutions can be viable or practical to develop as a prototype. Some may not even be possible based on scientific and mathematical concepts.
Learning from engineers, you will have to critically evaluate your solutions based on the identified users' needs or requirements to be met, constraints in resources (e.g. materials, cost or technological advancements), value of the solution and many other factors. This process is known engineering analysis. Engineering analysis allows you to make informed decisions to turn promising solutions into prototypes that fulfil your objectives.
In the video, an interaction matrix is applied to evaluate "criteria" that is relevant to the project. The list of "criteria" thus refers to identified users' needs or requirements to be met, constraints in resources etc.
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Additive manufacturing refers to any process where a product is created layers by layers. Unlike traditional way of manufacturing where machines "remove" layers to produce, additive manufacturing is more cost-efficient and reduces wastage of resources to create products.
Watch this video to find out more about additive manufacturing and how it is different from other manufacturing processes.
Nowadays, the term is almost synonymous with the 3D printing technology that is rapid growing in the field. This is because 3D printing technology does create products by adding materials layers by layers to produce any possible geometry. This points to the endless possibilities of creating customised products (e.g. prosthetics or orthotics). This further encourages greater creativity in product innovation and development as designers are no longer restricted by complex angles or shapes in their ideas.
Apart from product complexities, additive manufacturing enables the use of different materials within a single object. This thus allows an object to have different properties and increased versatility in applications.
With a better understanding of additive manufacturing, you are highly encouraged to explore the possibilities of applying it to your Prototyping process in Design & Build challenge.
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