Back to The Programs in Manufacturing Engineering Page
State resources provide for the basic foundation courses. To go beyond, we must find external support. In the School of Engineering and Technology at CSLA, our goal is to engage in projects, research, and programs that improve national competitiveness, with special emphasis on manufacturing, advanced materials, and related topics. To strengthen that emphasis, we are embarking on this important campaign to find additional sources of support on the needs and opportunities listed below.
Substantial resources are needed to bring our plans to fruition. We request your help through contributions to any of the delineated projects that match your specific interests.
1. Student Internships, Faculty Sabbaticals, and University-Industry Design Partnerships
Applying basic concepts to practical applications is the fundamental task of engineers. Thus, engineering students need meaningful design and manufacturing problems for class projects as well as real-world design opportunities such as those provided by nation-wide design competitions.
The goal of the School of Engineering and Technology is to pair student design teams with industry professionals who can provide essential technical and financial assistance in defining problems for students and faculty to work on, choosing effective approaches to solutions, and accessing modern equipment in manufacturing, metrology, and testing. A concurrent goal is to assure that such partnerships mutually benefit both partners. Therefore, student internships, faculty sabbatical opportunities, industry sponsored design clinics, and study grants are sought from industry.
2. Manufacturing Processes Laboratory
Automating manufacturing processes which take advantage of continual improvements in computer, sensor, motion, and robotic technologies are key to the increasing of industrial productivity. It is essential, then, that graduates of our programs be exposed to current technologies in these areas. Also, students should be exposed to computerized inspection techniques in which inspection data are automatically relayed back to design and manufacturing controllers.
To this end, the School of Engineering and Technology’s goal is to acquire a computerized numerically controlled (CNC) lathe, a coordinate measuring machine (CMM), and an engineering workstation (Estimated cost ~ $250K).
3. Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Controls Laboratory
Educating students about modern industrial controls is critical for the U.S. to remain competitive in the world manufacturing market place.
To this end, the School of Engineering and Technology’s goal is to develop an interdisciplinary controls laboratory for teaching system dynamics and controls to senior undergraduate students from the various departments. After students learn control theory in courses offered in the individual departments, they jointly will conduct experiments on realistic processes and devices that represent common control problems in manufacturing.
Thus, the school proposes to procure a number of PC-based, object-oriented data acquisition programs, servo and stepper motors, accelerometers, linearly variable differential transformers (LVDTs), programmable logic controllers (PLCs), sensors, other control devices and associated software. (estimated cost ~ $125K).
4. Advanced Computer-Aided Product Development Laboratory
Senior and graduate research and projects in this laboratory will include computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, concurrent engineering, rapid prototyping, expert systems for design, visualization, and geometric modeling. The laboratory will consist of a number of advanced workstations, table-top numerically controlled (NC) machines, a rapid prototyping system , and associated software. The School’s goal is to make these new technologies useful and feasible tools for addressing industry type product development problems. (Estimated cost ~ $300K)
5. Metrology Laboratory
Virtually every manufacturing process requires a certain amount of inspection and/or monitoring to assure the control and quality of the process. A coordinate measuring machine (CMM) is a measuring instrument that is used to assess whether the geometric dimensions of a manufactured discrete part conform to design specifications. This use also applies to assemblies and sub-assemblies. In addition, CMMs can be used for reverse engineering applications, or as calibration instruments to measure gages and physical reference artifacts. With increased challenges of international competition, nothing is in greater demand today than quality, and nothing is more critical to quality than the ability to measure accurately, &To Know for Certain”&
To this end, the School of Engineering and Technology’s goal is to establish a Metrology Laboratory to teach the steadfast relationship between metrology and quality. The laboratory will be equipped with state-of-the art CMMs, Reverse Engineering tools, and associated metrology software. This equipment will be used in conjunction with Advanced Computer-Aided Product Development Laboratory to provide our graduates with a first-hand opportunity to learn the skills and philosophies essential for our manufacturing industries to revive and thrive. (Estimated cost ~$200K)
Faculty contact:
Ram Manvi, Ph.D., P.E
Director, CSLA Center
Southern California Coalition for Education in Manufacturing Engineering (SCCEME)
Tel: (323) 343-4496
Fax: (323) 343-4555
rmanvi@calstatela.edu