How Everyday Things Are Made

OckNock writes "The Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing at Stanford University in conjunction with Design4x has released online courses on design and manufacturing that include over 4 hours of streaming video (Flashplayer required). Some of the topics include airplanes, crayons, and waterjet cutting. If only they had this when I had studied mechanical engineering - maybe I would have stayed awake in class more."

Comments

great stuff!

[seanadams.com]

During this internet craze, I think a lot of techies have lost touch with the amazing techniques that we develop for designing and manufacturing all the physical things around us.

If you're an out of work geek, consider looking into the "old smoke-stack" industries for places where you could apply your software skills in helping companies improve margins through better automation and more efficient processes.

Re:great stuff!

[digitalunity]

It depends very much on the process and the industry. I work for one of the largest silicon wafer manufacturers in the world. Our automation is so complex and mature that the only way we could lay off more workers is if we reduced capacity. That's the key. We did lay off almost half of the workers, but through efficiency increases, the capacity is where it was two years ago. The company saved a decent chunk of change because they kept the automation engineers around. I know of another similar company that just layed off quite a few people, but their automation is very poor. Overall, the company is doing very bad. Their capacity is less than a third of what it was two years ago and the company still isn't making much money.

There's two ways to save money in manufacturing: less workers & lowered capacity, or increased efficiency and increased profits. The method used depends highly on existing conditions.

And yes, as embedded devices become more commoditized, special education in the field becomes less important. One quick read through this boook and most good programmers would capable of automating simple tasks that more often than not require people to perform.

Mr. Wizard

[Jason1729]

I learned about this sort of thing watching Mr. Wizard's World when I was a kid. I gained my interest in science watching this show.

Jason
ProfQuotes

Really usefull if you learn by example

[strider3700]

I love it when places do this. I've always found it easiest to learn by watching someone else doing it, then copying, and then experimenting. I've learned basic cooking and baking, simple home repair and basic automotive repair this way all from tv. From there I usually realize I enjoy it, pick up a book or find a web site and get better at it. I'm currently in the middle of rebuilding a car using a manual a web forum and what I learned watching those hotrodding shows on TV saturday mornings. Now if only someone would release free videos of how to play with fiberglass and carbon fiber.

Re:Ah, the memories

[nettdata]

My favourite was the spoon factory... who knew that spoons were made that way?

Taking a step backwards...

[swordgeek]

The first thing I thought of when I read the subject was closer to 'how everyday things are created,' a cause near and dear to my heart.

Manufacturing is fascinating stuff, but my wife is an industrial designer, and as a result I get to see the REALLY neat parts--the research/design/prototype/test process that feeds into manufacturing.

Not too many people thing about the work that goes into making a chair (for example) fit properly, but it's a complex process and one that requires a lot more engineering than people realise.

Nothing really important to say here--just thought that people (especially those younger /.ers who haven't yet decided on a career) who find the manufacturing process interesting might also give a thought towards the industrial design aspect.