engineering method

George and the Forest

May 24, 2016 by Adept Engineering Leave a Comment

Previously I’ve been discussing the engineering process and prototyping… important subjects… dry… but hey, it’s engineering. Not so dry for those of us that live it.

I’d like to thank everyone who has appreciated and contributed to follow-up, discussion and praise. However, I’m going to shift gears and share with you an anecdotal experience that I believe taught me a very important Engineering lesson.

As many of you know, I worked for a major aircraft manufacturer for many years and truly believe that my experiences there made me the engineer I am today. I have many fond memories of those experiences.

To Prototype or not to Prototype?

May 2, 2016 by Adept Engineering Leave a Comment

Previously we spoke about 3D printers, their promise or lack thereof! I will admit I have been a bit cynical of their reliability, accuracy and actual usefulness. There is absolutely no doubt that 3D printers are here to stay and promise great things for our future. Sadly, for most of us, it still remains in the future. Despite the fact that Adept designs 100’s of parts per month we don’t own a 3D printer and don’t expect to purchase one anytime soon. That’s not to say we don’t utilize rapid manufacturing a great deal. However, by not bringing a single technology in house we are not bound or tempted to fit our process into the single technology we own. Prototyping companies put out a horde of advertising displaying complex assemblies that have been 3D printed in order to entice us towards their machines and services, but beware, (we’ll talk about that a little later). I don’t want to necessarily talk about 3D printers but more about prototyping as a whole. Specifically about when to prototype and when not to prototype, a sort of Shakespearean… “to Prototype or not to Prototype”.

The Monkey Wrench: A Lesson in Developing Specifications

November 12, 2014 by Adept Engineering 1 Comment

If you’ve been actively following this blog, you’ve read about the importance of developing a sound idea. The development of an idea begins in the form of a compilation of requirements, expectations and overall purpose of your product or device. An engineer works through this compilation to prepare a methodical approach focused on realizing a design’s creation.

The engineer’s first step is to prepare a specification, i.e. a series of requirements which ultimately become the backbone, or in some cases, the achilles heal of the design. All specification entries in part and as a whole must pass a sanity check.

This post tells the tale of the monkey wrench, a lesson in developing specification requirements.
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You have a wild idea. Will it actually work?

September 24, 2014 by Adept Engineering 1 Comment

As an engineer, I’ve been involved with my share of wild ideas, visions and desires. I’ve listened to and entertained, against my better judgment, some many of a wild idea. Some ideas I regret not to have taken more seriously, several I was retained to prove or disprove their validity, and many that developed into some really exciting devices. Along the way it became evident that there were some basic and necessary guidelines, a few of the key ones were: don’t be too quick to judge, focus on the details and always keep the goals in sight.

Tools That Transform Concepts into a Physical Prototype

June 12, 2014 by Adept Engineering 7 Comments

“With great power comes great responsibility.” I’ve always expected a bit more from this quote. If Peter Parker is who claims it, so be it. Don’t get me wrong, I love Spiderman movies. What’s not to like about a good guy winning and getting the girl. Unfortunately, in the world of engineering, we are not always fortunate to have the same fate. We are given great power and responsibility, but without the girl (or guy, let’s stay on theme…Spiderman and all). The power to engineer and develop in the virtual world is fantastic and has granted us unimaginable vision and responsibility.

Want to engineer your idea? It might not be easy.

April 8, 2014 by Adept Engineering Leave a Comment

Let’s just say you want to build a new machine or develop a new product. Can’t you just dive in and do it?

The simple answer is “no.” You need an Engineer.

Adept is proud to present If Engineering Was Easy… a blog with an editorial focus on innovation in mechanical engineering, industrial design, and electrical engineering consulting. Written for, by, and about engaged and innovative engineers, If Engineering Was Easy… aims to inspire readers to strike up engineering related conversations discuss and share methodologies as they pertain to a machine and product conception and development.

engineering method

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