Teaching manufacturing technology through 'Learning by doing' approach

Machining processes have many parameters that affect the performance, accuracy and the surface quality of the finished product. It is the responsibility of the teaching instructor to give the necessary understanding and ability to use the knowledge in the various manufacturing process such as shaping, moulding, material removal process, advanced machining techniques and additive manufacturing process to get them readily employable in the local industries. In order to enhance the student understanding of the course, the delivery methodology and the assessment strategies were designed to include practical / workshop sessions. In these session, the students were trained on basic skills to operate conventional lathe and milling machines. The students were then exposed to witness the effects of various cutting parameters on the surface finish and tool life produced in different workpiece materials. The students were also exposed to G&M code generation for CNC machining, Solidworks modelling for 3D printing. The results were significantly better and the students were enthusiastic and fully engaged with the work. This paper describes all these in detail, the method of assessment, the results and the students' feedback.