Design & Manufacturing
The Design and Modeling Unit (DMU) is divided into five lessons. The following is a description of each lesson with links to the initial pages for each lesson of the DMU.
Lesson 1: Introduction to Technology
This lesson introduces the students to the different branches of technology. They will learn that technology is the tool humans use to develop new products that improve life. With the use of mini quests and concept mapping students will investigate innovations and determine their social, cultural, economical, political, and environmental consequences. At the end of the lesson they should be able to make good ethical decisions concerning the use and abuse of technology.
Lesson 2: Design Process
This lesson focuses on the design process. The steps involved in the process as well as the design elements will be fully explored by the students with each documented in their engineer’s notebook. Through a series of design projects they will learn that there is no perfect design and for a design solution to be successful it must satisfy the criteria and constraints found in the design brief. Through the study of measurement they will apply the language of numbers to more fully explain their ideas.
Lesson 3: Sketching and Views
The art of visual communication will be explored in this lesson. Isometric, perspective, and thumbnail freehand sketching will be practiced with an emphasis on accurate depiction of different design solutions. Students will be expected to show the steps they followed in the generation of a final solution. Students will learn about multi-view drawings and the part they play in the representation of design solutions.
Lesson 4: 3D Computer Modeling
Knowledge gained from the previous lessons will make the transition to the computer application using a 3D modeling software package much easier. Exposure and use of the metric system as well as the American measurement system will expand their understanding of measurement systems. Their knowledge of geometry will be increased as well as the new applications they will learn as they begin to build their designs using geometric shapes. Coordinate geometry is also studied and applied with an emphasis on the X-, Y-, and Z-axes. File creation and management will be stressed as they create, save, edit, and assembly their parts.
Lesson 5: Prototype Fabrication
Applying what students learned in Lesson 4 – 3D Computer Modeling, they will be able to design, assembly, and create fabrication drawings of several design projects assigned. The students will follow the technical drawings for an air racer, which will enable them to more fully apply their new computer modeling skills. Next, students will document their design of a magnetic levitation vehicle and air-compressed dragster. These projects are open ended with only a few size requirements specified. Students will be applying their knowledge of design and computer modeling. The students will fabricate and race them in a later unit.
