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Tool Machine
Safety |
Activity 6.1.1: Almost every
profession has safety guidelines to follow. For instance,
chefs deal with fire safety in the kitchen, construction
workers deal with tool safety and human related safety
issues, and nurses deal with biological safety issues.
Engineers are unique in that they need to consider all
aspects of safety when creating a design solution. However,
prior to building the design solution, engineers educate
themselves about the tools they need to use for their
safety.
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Assembly
Procedure |
Activity 6.1.2:
Before you begin the fabrication of your design solution, a plan
of action needs to be written. Cooks often use a recipe to make
sure all the ingredients and tools are available before starting
to make a meal. It is common for a cook to use more than one
recipe for each dinner prepared. The need for step-by-step
instructions for the fabrication of your design solution is just
as important as a recipe is to a cook.
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Material and
Cost Analysis |
Activity 6.1.3: If you were
going to change the oil in your car’s engine, you would
probably check the owner’s specification manual to make sure
you have the correct oil type, oil filter, and amount of oil
necessary to complete the job. It would be ridiculous to
drain the oil from your car before you had purchased the
oil. If the store were within walking distance, it might be
okay to proceed without having the oil, but if it were
snowing or raining, it would be a miserable walk.
It is just as
important for you to create a complete list of the necessary
materials, their cost, and where you can get them for your
design solution. You should not begin assembling your device
until you have the money, materials, and equipment to
complete the task.
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Build Solution |
Activity 6.1.4:
The construction of the
prototype is usually the most exciting part of the research
project because you will get to see the actual solution.
Although it may seem that you are almost finished with the
project, the process of conceptualizing, creating, and testing
is not linear. As the project matures, additional information is
obtained which may require that a change be made to the original
concept. Engineering
change orders (ECOs)
or revisions are done when the results of the testing indicate
further modification is needed. The process of the initial
implementation of a prototype, its testing, and subsequent
improvements occur in a repetitive cycle of continuous
improvement that is limited by the resources of time and
capital.
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