Planning a manufacturing class for coworkers

[Sparweb]

Hi,
Maybe the members done something like this, or have some ideas / warnings I should think about.

I've been asked to prepare a class for my fellow engineering staff members. None of them have any mechanical experience but they have university degrees of various levels. Let's ignore the subject of "we can't hire smart guys anymore" and just stick to the subject of training the guys I have It's a group of 4, mostly young guys, and maybe I'll get some interest from others in the company. I'll cap it at 6 so I can keep my attention focused.

I have access to a sheet metal and light machining shop. I'm putting together a series of 5 in-shop exercises so that they can go through the motions of making some relatively simple parts. The goal is for them to produce 1 part in each exercise, which should take about 3-4 hours. On the last day they would assemble all the parts together (and buck some rivets too). I won't expect much quality, but I'll show them what's involved in doing these processes they casually put on drawings with no idea how much time or tooling it takes to do them.

I am eagerly hoping to see certain things go wrong (and purely for the educational reason, no other...):

• whining about how long it takes to hand-file a 1/2" corner radius, on a part that only needed edges broken
• chained dimensions that don't match up with supposedly matching holes on another part
• slip fits that don't slip
• threads that bind (or nuts that wiggle)

...And will do my best that other kinds of things don't go wrong. It should go without saying, but I'll say it anyway, there must be a safety briefing before we start, and every day before giving out the materials there will be a refresher.

If you were planning such a class, what would you do?

What kind of parts would you ask people to fabricate?

Or, should I give up on the whole idea and send them all down to the local tech college for real instruction?

 

[Aukai]

If safety first, I like the idea, maybe some mishap video's just like driver's Ed.

 

[Nutfarmer]

You are gluttony for punisment. God help me when the engineers ever came out on the manufacturing floor . They could f#### anything . Run away as fast as you can

 

[jwmay]

Maybe abandon the idea of a useful assembly at the end. Simple blocks and round things with threads, perpendicular holes and poorly placed origins, and overly strict tolerances on the prints should be sufficient. Things smaller than a quarter inch with tapers, flats, and threaded holes. Non standard measures when unnecessary such as .257 instead of 6.5mm. Be sure and hide the metrics. Idk really. I'm just spitballing things that irk me. Lol How about a block with a hundred callouts, and when it's done, you find out it's just being welded to a piece of square tube and bolted to the floor? Also make sure to forget things like 4x. Oh actually I don't know if that means "we need 4 of them" everywhere.. lol

 

[mmcmdl]

If you were planning such a class, what would you do?

• whining about how long it takes to hand-file a 1/2" corner radius, on a part that only needed edges broken
• chained dimensions that don't match up with supposedly matching holes on another part
• slip fits that don't slip
• threads that bind (or nuts that wiggle)

GTD . If they don't understand the basics , they may need to get into something other than machine and design .

 

[Liljoebrshooter]

Absolutely make something that must fit together for final assembly. Have the location of the holes on the print called out in X-Y coordinates and make them measure them out with a tape measure and mark and drill them.
Just think about all the completely dumb ideas you have encountered and let them see first hand the issues that the people who have to build products every day encounter.
Oh, and make them learn to read a tape measure. We see that a lot. A young green engineer fresh out of school that thinks they know everything that can't read a tape measure and will argue with someone who has been doing it 30 years.

Joe

 

[C-Bag]

Sorry, but this strikes me as usual engineer over think. What does your company make? Why not take a simple enough unit that is something your company makes and have them make it?

The last company I worked with I was able to interact with the engineering dept and it was a good thing in both directions. I understood better the challenges they faced and they understood mine. I didn’t want their job and they didn’t want mine and that is key to understanding how teams really function. Yeah safety, but respect is also key. Respect for the different members of the teams and their strengths. Respect takes empathy and that seems in shorter supply than skills IMHO.

 

[francist]

What kind of parts would you ask people to fabricate?

I think this may be a bit more challenging than it first seems, at least in thinking about it that's what I'm discovering.

I'm assuming your company makes parts and that those parts are functional and made effectively and efficiently in the shop. So having the students/engineers take a day making one or more of those parts is kind of a fun exercise but what really would they learn, how a shop worker spends his day? Kind of like, "oh the poor workers are complaining again, what do they want us to do, make it for them..?"

On the other hand, making a concocted part that has no relevance or purpose to the company product doesn't really make sense either. "Uh, great, but we make combines. Why are you asking us to build a toothbrush?"

So what about a blend between the two? Take a part or a process that the company makes and have the students produce it as is currently done on the shop floor. Then have them make that same product / process again but with exaggerated tolerances and unnecessary details. In the first effort the students would be exposed to how an actual part that they (presumably) had a hand in engineering is made, and in the second effort they'd get to see firsthand how that workable process becomes ridiculous or ultra-costly when those tolerances or details get skewed.

I'd be interested to hear how the session goes if it does end up being implemented.

-frank

 

[Navy Chief]

I think this may be a bit more challenging than it first seems, at least in thinking about it that's what I'm discovering.

I'm assuming your company makes parts and that those parts are functional and made effectively and efficiently in the shop. So having the students/engineers take a day making one or more of those parts is kind of a fun exercise but what really would they learn, how a shop worker spends his day? Kind of like, "oh the poor workers are complaining again, what do they want us to do, make it for them..?"

On the other hand, making a concocted part that has no relevance or purpose to the company product doesn't really make sense either. "Uh, great, but we make combines. Why are you asking us to build a toothbrush?"

So what about a blend between the two? Take a part or a process that the company makes and have the students produce it as is currently done on the shop floor. Then have them make that same product / process again but with exaggerated tolerances and unnecessary details. In the first effort the students would be exposed to how an actual part that they (presumably) had a hand in engineering is made, and in the second effort they'd get to see firsthand how that workable process becomes ridiculous or ultra-costly when those tolerances or details get skewed.

I'd be interested to hear how the session goes if it does end up being implemented.

-frank

I like @francist idea, have them make the same part twice, once from a good print with reasonable tolerances and again with a poor drawing with ridiculous tolerances and let them see the difference. Would really hit home if they do the bad print and tolerances first, then show them how much better and quicker it can be with a good print.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

 

[jwmay]

The last company I worked with I was able to interact with the engineering dept and it was a good thing in both directions. I understood better the challenges they faced and they understood mine. I didn’t want their job and they didn’t want mine and that is key to understanding how teams really function. Yeah safety, but respect is also key. Respect for the different members of the teams and their strengths. Respect takes empathy and that seems in shorter supply than skills IMHO.

OT: I had a good working relationship with a few engineers. But generally speaking, respect and empathy were never the order of the day. More like disdain and impatience. Then again they were always so serious and I... well I'm not very serious. Lol