Machine-Free Manufacturing
Demonstration of how students are supposed to conduct the forging portion of the lab.Copyright Margaret Nance, 2023. Photos taken at Houston Academy for International Studies High School in Engineering Design and Presentation Class
Students use common household items to demonstrate different manufacturing processes, such as a blender for milling, a frosting bag for injection molding and extrusion, and their hands for forging. As they complete these tasks, students learn about mass production, bonding of materials, and the factors and components that go into manufacturing, such as cleaning, heat, production, and application in real life. Using three of the four manufacturing methods, students design a habitat for their very own creatures.
Materials engineers develop, process, and test materials to create a wide range of products. They design processes to manipulate materials to meet the needs of modern technology. In this activity, students explore four types of manufacturing processes and use them while following the engineering design process to design a habitat for a creature of their choice.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe the differences between the manufacturing methods of milling, extrusion, injection molding, and forging.
- Understand vocabulary related to manufacturing and machining.
- Think and problem solve how to best use machines given design requirements.