2015-2016 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
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 Return to: College of Engineering
Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing
Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) is the standardized method used for communicating part requirements on engineering drawings and 3-D CAD models. GD&T uses its own notation to define allowable variations in the form, size and position of parts in assemblies. GD&T is used on a daily basis by a variety of professionals, including tool designers, mechanical engineers, technical inspectors, and engineering managers. The Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing program in the Industrial Engineering Department will give you a firm foundation in geometric systems, advanced practice in calculating tolerances, and hands-on training in international standards and real world applications for this essential skill set.
Application and Research
- Applying GD&T to prevent part waste, tool damage, and other manufacturing costs.
- Advancing the field of process capability studies by analyzing design alternatives.
- Developing mathematical models to calculate tolerances affected by new fabrication, assembly, and inspection processes.
- Developing new software for faster GD&T.
Examples of Technology
- GD&T analysis and solutions helped Ford solve an assembly problem with belt length and tensioners in one of its engine models.
- The Six Sigma quality improvement system used by Motorola, Honeywell, IBM, and General Electric relies on GD&T engineering to maximize process efficiency.
Benefits to Florida’s Economy
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a six percent increase in industrial engineer jobs between 2010 and 2020.
- A recent study in Quality Management Journal found that companies realized an average return of two dollars for every one dollar invested in Six Sigma programs.
- Manufacturing has the biggest economic multiplier effect of all industries in Florida: each dollar invested creates another $1.43 in other sectors.
Fast Facts
Every factory employs geometric dimensioning and tolerancing of some kind.
Major Companies in the Industry
- Ardaman & Associates
- General Electric
- Honeywell
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Motion Intelligence
Motion intelligence is a multi-disciplinary field of study that seeks to improve the flow of motion in various environments: large-city traffic, airports, hospitals, public transportation, shipping, banks, universities, and media. Advances in logistics and supply chain management, manufacturing, public transportation, communications, and high-performance computing have created a new opportunity for engineers and planners to work together. The Motion Intelligence program in the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Department combines information technology, applied engineering, and social sciences to provide you with the diverse technical skills, entrepreneurial abilities, and global viewpoint required to manage the governing forces that move within the marketplace.
Application and Research
- Improving city traffic and road congestion.
- Maximizing time management and availability of products and materials.
- Developing software and IT control systems that improve hospitals’ patient treatment.
- Designing airport management systems to maximize passenger satisfaction and safety.
- Improving public transportation systems to increase ridership.
Examples of Technology
- City planners are using cloud computing to monitor road congestion and provide solutions.
- Conflict resolution maneuvers for air traffic management utilize motion planning algorithms in air traffic management systems.
- Motion intelligence is used to solve the most critical human factor problems in the design of an air-navigation and traffic-control system.
Benefits to Florida’s Economy
- Pioneering the field of motion control will create jobs in engineering, IT, logic control, cyber planning, and logistics.
- The 2011 Florida Trade and Logistics Study identified the potential for the creation of 143,000 jobs in the state’s logistics sector.
Fast Facts
The Texas Transportation Institute estimated in 2000 that the 75 largest metropolitan areas experienced 3.6 billion vehicle-hours of delay, resulting in 5.7 billion U.S. gallons of wasted fuel and $67.5 billion in lost productivity, or about 0.7 percent of the nation’s GDP.
Major Companies in the Industry
- CSX Intermodal
- Mitre Corporation
- Motion Industries
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- RAND Worldwide
- Siemens Energy & Automation, Inc.
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Multifunctional Materials
Multifunctional material design is the science of engineering composite materials with new and unique capabilities. Traditional materials that provide high stiffness and strength, for instance, can be modified at the nanoscale to take on other properties such as energy absorption, self-healing, and even shape morphing. The design of new “smart” materials and systems has major implications for the defense, aerospace, energy, and semiconductor industries. The Multifunctional Materials program in the Industrial Engineering Department will give you a strong foundation in the fabrication, characterization, modeling and prototyping of multifunctional materials and other smart systems that improve safety, efficiency, and versatility.
Application and Research
- Prototyping structure-sensing composites that can monitor their own health and detect threats to their embedded systems.
- Developing active structures that can alter their shape and properties to respond to changes in their external environment.
- Designing materials with energy-transduction properties that harvest and store energy to increase their mission range and endurance.
- Advancing physics-based simulations and models to enhance the performance and efficiency of multifunctional materials.
Examples of Technology
- A collaboration between University of Washington and General Motors will develop new composite materials that capture waste heat for conversion into usable electricity for automotive engines.
- Harvard University is partnering with IBM to accelerate the testing of millions of new, simulated organic molecules that could be used for low cost, effective and easily produced materials to conduct and store solar energy.
Benefits to Florida’s Economy
- In 2012, the Army Research Office announced a $120 million investment in multifunctional materials research and President Obama announced the Materials Genome Initiative, with $25 million in research awards.
- 31 organizations endorsed the Orlando Materials Innovation Principles, an outcome of a 2012 summit in Orlando, Florida that focused on the Materials Genome Initiative.
- Semiconductor, defense and space technology companies - the primary developers of multifunctional materials - are directly targeted by the State of Florida’s special financial incentives.
Fast Facts
Using a protein from color-changing squids, scientists have created a coating that reflects infrared and could potentially be used to make people and vehicles invisible to infrared cameras
Major Companies in the Industry
- Saint-Gobain
- General Motors
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Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is a revolutionary field incorporating engineering, chemistry, physics, materials science, biology, and a growing number of other disciplines. Literally, the “science of the small,” nanoscience focuses on manipulating matter at the level of atoms, molecules, and supramolecular structures to address challenges ranging from medicine to manufacturing. The Nanotechnology program in the Industrial Engineering Department will train you in the use of specialized instruments, fabrication processes, and advanced analysis methods to create smarter materials and devices with unlimited applications.
Application and Research
- Developing student proposals for funded research and specific business applications with real-world time and budget requirements.
- Pioneering next-generation medical devices, drug delivery systems, computer chips, batteries, and lightweight materials.
- Improving the efficiency of fuel cells and reducing the cost of fuel cell production.
- Advancing nanotechnology for clean air and carbon emission reduction.
Examples of Technology
- Nanoscale additives to polymer composite materials are making everyday items like baseball bats, motorcycle helmets, and automobile bumpers stronger, lighter, and more durable.
- Nanocrystals can enhance biological imaging for medical diagnostic devices such as MRIs.
- Nanotechnology has been used in the early diagnosis of atherosclerosis, the buildup of plaque in arteries.
Benefits to Florida’s Economy
- More than 150,000 people in the U.S. held jobs in nanotechnology in 2008, according to the National Nanotechnology Initiative. By 2015, that number is expected to grow to 800,000.
- According to financial analysts at RNCOS, the global nanotechnology market is expected to grow 19 percent by 2017.
- Cientifica Ltd. estimates that nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars will be invested in nanotechnology by 2015.
Fast Facts
A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. National Geographic describes the size of a nanometer as “the amount a man’s beard grows in the time it takes him to lift a razor to his face.”
Major Companies in the Industry
- Dais Analytic
- Draper Labs
- Lockheed Martin
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Program and Concentration RequirementsDegree ProgramsBachelor of ScienceConcentration
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