Student guide Faculty of Engineering A.Y. 2010/11

Industrial Applications (Mechanical)
Lesson timetable, Notice board, Additional material
Aim of the course
Students will acquire a comprehensive understanding of mechanical production processes, the theoretical models which describe them, and the machines used to carry them out. At the end of the course, they will be able to select the most appropriate technological solution, process and production system for making a particular product, starting from the definition of its specifications through to the final execution.
The coursework includes a practical group project, in which students will have to analyse the process for obtaining an assigned product, thus giving them an opportunity to work on, physically observe and document a real-world example.
A basic knowledge of mechanical drawing is a prerequisite for the course. For maximum benefit, it is also preferable to have taken general physics, industrial technology and computer assisted design.
Syllabus
Review of industrial design; machining tolerances; steel and iron codes; heat treatments.
Defining the specifications of the product: interactions between the product, process and system; analysis of the drawing and characteristics of the part.
Technological and mechanical tests: traction, compression, hardness, resiliency and fatigue tests.
Casting: geometrical characteristics of a cast piece; sand and die casting; waste-wax process, pressure die-casting.
Permanent set metal forming: general overview of the plasticity of metals.
Sheet metal working: shearing, drawing,  brake forming and rolling.
Working of solid parts: forging, moulding, extrusion, drawing, rolling.
Permanent set metal forming machines: characteristics and operating principles
Machining processes: the principle of metal cutting; tool and workpiece, speed and cutting force; classification of operations based on the geometry of the part: turning, milling, drilling, boring, broaching, grinding; criteria for selecting the tools to use.
Machine tools: characteristics and operating principles; numerical control machine tools.
Overview of unconventional processes: electron discharge, water jet, laser, and plasma machining.
Overview of assembly and joining technologies: welding and bonding.
Defining the optimal production cycle: sequencing of the operation from work piece to finished part; rationalising the methods for generating the cycle; automatic sequence generation (CAPP);
Calculating the work process times and costs.
Overview of programming of numerical control machines and of CAD/CAM techniques.
Structure of the technical production documentation.
The course will include exercises for putting into practice the theoretical material.
Students will also do a project, involving production of an assigned mechanical part.
Visits to companies and facilities operating in relevant sectors will be organised to provide first-hand experience of the industrial and technological reality.
Examinations
During the course, students will do a project in which they work out the complete cycle for producing a mechanical component, starting from a working drawing supplied by the lecturers. They will be assessed by a written exam, followed by an oral exam that also includes discussion of the above project.
Reading list
Reference textbooks
Bugini A., Giardini C., Pacagnella R., Restelli G., Tecnologia meccanica, Città Studi, Milano 1995
Bugini A., Giardini C., Pacagnella R., Restelli G., Problemi di Tecnologia meccanica, Città Studi, Milano 1995
Giusti F., Santocchi M., Tecnologia meccanica e studi di fabbricazione, Ambrosiana, Milano 1992
Course notes provided by the lecturers.
 
Further reading:
Nicodemi, Metallurgia principi generali, Zanichelli, Bologna 2000.
Nicodemi, Acciai e leghe non ferrose, Zanichelli, Bologna 2000.
Rossi, Attrezzature meccaniche, Tecniche Nuove, Milano 1989.