This laboratory improvement program involves engineering students in the full spectrum of computer integrated manufacturing from the CAD to the CAM phase through a dedicated experimental laboratory facility. The planned facility would fulfill two objectives: introduction of key advanced manufacturing technologies, and investigation of fundamental engineering and scientific concepts and their application to a real engineering system. The laboratory facility centers around a fully-instrumented computer numerical control (CNC) machining center that supports experiments in four interwoven areas, namely, (1) measurement and analysis of basic physical quantities, (2) manufacturing processes, methods and equipment, (3) analysis and synthesis of servosystems used in manufacturing systems, and (4) principles of numerical control, computer numerical control, and metrology. It is anticipated that the capabilities offered by this facility would profoundly impact the quality of education in four core courses in the newly-introduced option in manufacturing.
