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What is the History of Mechanical Engineering?
Mechanical engineering has always interested me in many ways. There is so much history in mechanical engineering. People have used it for many many years, but they probably didn’t know that they were even using mechanical engineering. One of the first times that someone recorded using mechanical engineering was in ancient Greece.
During ancient Greek times, people built many things like gears, rotary mills, and a water clock. At this time it wasn’t called mechanical engineering, but the people were still using mechanics to build these machines as we do today. Now today ours is more advanced, but there’s still got the job done for the machines to work. This really amazes me how people so long ago could first make these machines with as little knowledge about mechanical engineering as they had.
The first steam engine ever made also dates back to ancient Greek time. The engine was made by Heon Alexandria. In 1206, the Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices was written by Al-Jazarie. This is one of the best examples of people using mechanical engineering. This was during the Islamic golden age where this was being made regarding mechanic design. So during this time period, they were starting to use the same design to remake parts.
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Where mechanical engineering really took a turn and really evolved was in the 18th century. During the 18th century was the Industrial Revolution when there was starting to be more of a demand for machinery. This time a lot more factories were being made and in those factories, people were building certain machines to help them better make their parts. This time the steam engine was a very big part of mechanical engineering. They had the same plans to make the engines quicker and the same every time. The steam engines then helped power trains, steamboats, and factories.
The evolution of mechanical engineering changed dramatically closer in the 19th century to what we have today. During the 19th century, this allowed people to see the difference of mechanical engineering and engineering. The difference between the two is that engineering is more of the building of the machine where ad mechanical engineering is more of the designing of the machine. This led to the manufacturing of engines and machines and how they get made and powered. Later during the 20th century more advanced systems were built. One of those advanced systems was laser-based manufacturing. The laser-based manufacturing is very helpful in making more parts a lot more exact for the final product. And finally, during the 21st century, 3D printing is starting to take over in some areas. 3D printing is much more efficient and much faster at making parts. People can just program the machine to make the part a certain way. The history of mechanical engineering really interests me is how something so advanced like this could have started.
What Colleges Could Someone Go to for Mechanical Engineering?
There are a couple of mechanical engineering schools in Wisconsin. There are a lot of schools that have the basic classes for mechanical engineering, but then you’d have to transfer to another school to finish your degree. To be exact there are only 5 schools in Wisconsin that have mechanical engineering as a degree. The price range can really be different depending on what school you go to. The price range is anywhere from $59,000 to $320,000 for a four-year education.
The number one ranked mechanical engineering college in Wisconsin is the University of Wisconsin Madison. This is one of the bigger engineering colleges in Wisconsin with about 20,000 students on campus. To get in you need around a 29 on the ACT which is above average for the ACT. The average cost after aid is about $20,000 to $50,000 a year. This is pretty affordable.
The number two ranked mechanical engineering college in Wisconsin is Milwaukee School of Engineering. The price range is $20,000 to $60,000 a year. The price range is a little more, but that’s because this school is specifically made for mechanical engineering.
The number three ranked mechanical engineering school in Wisconsin is Marquette University. The cost of this school is from $21,000 to $55,000 a year. This is a private school, so that is why the price range is a little more expensive.
The number four ranked mechanical engineering school in Wisconsin is the University of Wisconsin Platteville. The price range of this school is about $9,000 to $24,000 a year. This is one of the cheaper mechanical engineering colleges in Wisconsin. Plattville is a smaller school of about 8,000 people on campus.
The last ranked mechanical engineering college is the University of Milwaukee. The price range is about $13,000 to $35,000 a year.
The college I plan to go to is the University of Wisconsin Platteville. I went to tour it and I really liked the campus of Platteville. It was a very small campus which I liked because there would be more one on one interactions with the teachers. Also, the price was a lot lower than other mechanical engineering colleges. Then I wouldn’t have a lot of debt coming out of college which is a very good thing for my future. Another thing that I liked about Platteville was that it is a smaller school, so it is more like Howards Grove in a smaller community. Also, in the last couple of years, Platteville got an engineering building. All the labs and rooms are pretty much brand new. So I am very excited to learn in new classes and new labs.
What does a Mechanical Engineer Do?
There are many different things that mechanical engineers can do. One thing that they need to know how to use is computer systems. Some computer systems that you can use are CAD (computer-aided design), and CAM (computer-aided manufacturing). A lot of engineers use these programs to produce and analyze a design.
In our high school last semester I took CAD drawing. In that class, I made parts off of blueprints. You would get the blueprint and then you have to draw the part in CAD. When you draw it in CAD you have to dimension it so that way it is the right size. I really liked this program, it was very easy to use and understand. Being a mechanical engineer you would be using these programs almost every day making parts or examining them to make sure they are the right size.
Another thing they do is analyze problems to see how mechanical devices could solve a problem. One thing they might have to analyze is to see how to make a machine work faster or more efficiently. They would have to look over the whole machine and see if there was a part or parts that could be made better to make a machine work faster. Or not even make a machine work faster but the procedure.
At my co-op, with Poly Fab I got to see this first hand. In one of the procedures, people would have toclip things together with their hands. After a while the people’s hands would get sore, so the mechanical engineers made a machine to clip the parts together. I talked to some of the people who work there and they said they loved how the machine took these over so their hands wouldn’t get sore.
Along with these lines, mechanical engineers would have to test prototypes to machines they design. In the office, they would use CAD or CAM to draw their new device and then it would be made. After it is made the engineers would have to see if all the parts they made were right. The engineers would have to have to do tests to make sure it works efficiently.
Let’s say one of the devices they made wasn’t working the right way. The mechanical engineers would have to go back to the drawing boards and see where they messed up. The engineers would have to redesign the devices so that way it will work the right way. There are many different things that a mechanical engineer can design. Some things that they can design are power-producing machines, such as electric generators, internal combustion engines, and as well as power-using machines, such as refrigeration and air-conditioning systems. Everything that mechanical engineers can design really interests me. I will just have to find the right company that designs something that I will like to design for a long time. Also, CAD and CAM are both very easy to use and understand. I also really like using these two programs.
What are other careers you could go into with mechanical engineering?
There are many different careers you could go into mechanical engineering as a degree. One career you could go into is manufacturing engineering. The manufacturing engineers design the machines and technology that create the products that we rely on. Some things that they design are food products, medical devices, appliances, and automobiles. This one is more like mechanical engineering where they make the machines and devices to help run the production lines.
Another field that a mechanical engineer could go into is Automotive Research Engineers. The automotive research engineers try to improve the performance of cars. Some things that they try to improve are the suspension and new possible fuels along with developing all sorts of different vehicles. As an automotive mechanical engineer, you would have a hands-on role in the design and production of vehicles we use every day. They would try to find ways to make the vehicles more fuel-efficient. They also modify existing ones.
Mechanical engineers could also go into heating and cooling systems engineering. Heating engineering is also known as heat transfer or thermal sciences. They develop environmental systems that keep temperature and humidity within certain limits. You can find these systems in airplanes, trains, cars, computer rooms, and schools. Their job is to make sure that the system keeps that room at a certain temperature and humidity so the things in the room can function properly or at the highest level. Another big thing that heating and cooling engineers do is calculating energy losses in buildings. This is very important because buildings need to know if they’re paying too much for the energy they’re losing.
Another mechanical engineering profession that you could go with this education is Robotics engineers. Robotics engineers are creating robots and robotic systems that perform duties that humans normally could. I got to see this first hand at my co-op. For my co-op, I am working at Poly Fab and at Poly Fab they have a lot of robotic systems. There the robotic systems will make all the plastic parts and package them. The only thing the worker has to do there is tape the box shut and load it on a pallet. The robotic systems are very efficient and save money. These engineers spend most of their time designing plans for the robots and design the process for them to run correctly. Robotic engineers really help out the company by making it a safer work environment and making the products be done more efficiently.
These are all other careers I could go into with a mechanical engineering degree. Some of them seem very interesting and I’d have to take a further look into what they do. These are all very interesting to me. The one that interests me the most is probably the heating and cooling engineering. This interests me because they can work on many different things. Also, you can help out big industrial buildings by saving them money with what they can use to be more efficient. Another thing is that the heat thermals really interest me in how they work.
Why does Mechanical Engineering Appeal to Me?
Mechanical engineers can make quite a bit of money if you get into the right company or have been one for a while. The median salary for 2018 was $87,270. The best-paid 25% made about $110,520. And the lowest 25% made about $69,410. All those salaries are very good. Over the past eight years of mechanical engineers salary, they have gone up almost the thousand dollars.
Along with the salary, the job outlook for mechanical engineering is very good. The job outlook for mechanical engineering is about 4% between 2018 and 2028. That means that about 12,800 jobs should open up. With that high of a demand for jobs that are very good. When I’m out of college hopefully a lot of jobs open up around here. Right away I know that they might not make that much, that you might have to work for a couple of years before making that much money.
The money isn’t what interests me the most though. People say find a job you love and that the money doesn’t matter that much. The reason why I like mechanical engineering so much is because of the math. Mechanical engineers use a lot of math in there work. I enjoy doing math. In school, I have always been good at math and understood it very quickly. So I wanted a career that involved a lot of math. Along with math I really like hands-on working. Also, during school, I took a CAD drawing class. I really liked drawing all the parts in the class and that it used a lot of math. Later I found out that mechanical engineering used CAD and math. I read into it and I knew that was the career I wanted to do.
References
- “Mechanical Engineer Reviews and Advice.” U.S. News & World Report, U.S. News & World Report, money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/mechanical-engineer/reviews.
- Raise Labs, Inc. “Mechanical Engineers: Salary, Career Path, Job Outlook, Education and More.” RaiseMe, www.raise.me/careers/architecture-and-engineering/mechanical-engineers.
- “What Do Mechanical Engineers Do?” Southern New Hampshire University, www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/2018/10/what-do-mechanical-engineers-do.
- CareerExplorer, Former mechanical engineers on. “Careers.” ‐ CareerExplorer, www.careerexplorer.com/careers/mechanical-engineer/.
- CareerExplorer, Former mechanical engineers on. “Careers.” ‐ CareerExplorer, www.careerexplorer.com/careers/mechanical-engineer/.
- “What Do Mechanical Engineers Do?” Southern New Hampshire University, www.snhu.edu/about-us/newsroom/2018/10/what-do-mechanical-engineers-do.
- “Mechanical Engineers – What Do Mechanical Engineers Do?” StudentScholarships.org, studentscholarships.org/salary_ca/135/mechanical_engineers.php#sthash.cXNHEL9q.dpbs.
- “The Best Mechanical Engineering Schools.” College Factual, 13 Sept. 2019, www.collegefactual.com/majors/engineering/me-mechanical-engineering/rankings/top-ranked/great-lakes/wisconsin/.
- “The History of Mechanical Engineering.” Sculpteo, 16 Nov. 2018, www.sculpteo.com/blog/2018/11/14/the-history-of-mechanical-engineering/.
