the ONE skill that changed my life as a mechanical engineer

Summary

This video script narrates the journey of a mechanical engineer who, despite excelling academically, faced real-world challenges post-graduation. The speaker emphasizes the importance of Design for Manufacturability and Assembly (DFMA), effective communication, and creativity as pivotal skills for success in the industry. They share personal experiences and insights to guide junior engineers and students, advocating for a balance between professional achievement and personal fulfillment.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The importance of practical experience: Despite having a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and following all the academic and extracurricular guidelines, real-world challenges can still arise, emphasizing the need for hands-on experience.
• 🔧 The value of Design for Manufacturability and Assembly (DFMA): DFMA is a critical skill for mechanical engineers that can streamline the manufacturing process, save time and money, and prevent costly production issues.
• 🛠️ The necessity of understanding manufacturing processes: Knowing the ins and outs of various manufacturing processes is vital for a mechanical engineer to design parts effectively and efficiently.
• 🏭 The impact of prototyping on product development: Prototyping is a slow and expensive process, and the ability to get prototypes quickly and affordably can significantly shorten product development times.
• 🔗 The role of JLC 3DP for rapid prototyping: JLC 3DP offers industry-leading online 3D printing and CNC machining services, which can expedite the prototyping phase for mechanical engineers.
• 🔄 The iterative nature of part design: Mechanical engineers must be prepared for constant adjustments in part design throughout the product development process to accommodate various system requirements.
• 🤝 The significance of communication skills: Effective communication is essential for conveying complex ideas and technical information to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• 💡 The importance of creativity: Creativity is a top skill for business leaders and is crucial for mechanical engineers to innovate and solve challenging problems.
• 📈 The benefits of mastering DFMA: Becoming an expert in DFMA can increase employability, lead to more job offers, and make it harder for employers not to value your work.
• 🧘‍♂️ The balance between success and fulfillment: While professional achievement is important, personal fulfillment and health should not be overlooked in the pursuit of career success.
• 🚀 The personal growth from overcoming challenges: The speaker's own experiences highlight that overcoming initial struggles in a mechanical engineering career can lead to significant personal and professional growth.

Q & A

What challenges might a junior mechanical engineer face in their first job?

A junior mechanical engineer might face challenges such as struggling to meet critical project deadlines, making mistakes frequently, having a bad relationship with co-workers, difficulty in getting promotions, and finding the job to be less straightforward compared to university projects.

What is the importance of 'Design for Manufacturability and Assembly' (DFMA) in mechanical engineering?

DFMA is crucial as it is a set of principles that guide the design of products for easy manufacturing and assembly, which can streamline the entire manufacturing process, saving time and money for the company and preventing costly delays and production bottlenecks.

How does JLC 3DP help mechanical engineers with their prototyping needs?

JLC 3DP offers online 3D printing and CNC machining prototyping services, allowing engineers to upload their files for instant quotes and orders. They provide a wide selection of materials, colors, and surface finishes, and can ship parts directly to the engineer in any country within as fast as 3 days.

What manufacturing processes should a mechanical engineer be knowledgeable about?

A mechanical engineer should be knowledgeable about various manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, injection molding, casting, sheet metal forming, 3D printing, welding, and surface treatments to be able to design and optimize parts effectively.

Why is focusing on a single manufacturing process beneficial when mastering DFMA?

Focusing on a single process allows the engineer to gain a deep understanding of its underlying principles, theory, and practical application without feeling overwhelmed by trying to learn everything at once. This approach enables mastery of one process before moving on to others.

What is the impact of not considering DFMA principles during the design phase of a part?

Not considering DFMA principles can lead to significant delays in the project, potential redesigns, and in extreme cases, the need to remake tooling, which is both costly and time-consuming for the company.

How can a mechanical engineering student improve their understanding of DFMA?

Students can improve their understanding of DFMA by doing internships, finding design-oriented research positions, and working with engineers, machinists, and technicians in machine shops and manufacturing plants to gain practical experience and feedback.

Why is communication considered as critical as DFMA for a mechanical engineer?

Communication is critical because it enables the engineer to effectively convey complex ideas and technical information to both technical and non-technical team members, which is essential for collaboration and career progression.

What role does creativity play in the job of a mechanical engineer?

Creativity is essential for a mechanical engineer as it aids in innovating, coming up with design ideas, and finding solutions to challenging problems on the fly, which is highly valued in the industry.

What advice does the speaker give about the balance between professional success and personal fulfillment?

The speaker advises not to focus solely on professional achievement but to also prioritize personal fulfillment, as success without fulfillment is considered a failure. They also emphasize the importance of health and well-being over work.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 Challenges and Growth as a Mechanical Engineer

The speaker reflects on the challenges faced after graduating with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and landing a dream job, only to find out that the real-world work environment is vastly different from university expectations. They discuss the struggles with project deadlines, relationships with co-workers, and the lack of straightforwardness in job tasks compared to academic projects. The speaker emphasizes the importance of not only technical skills but also other ingredients for success in the industry. They share their personal growth through reflection and learning, and the significance of designed for manufacturability and assembly (DFMA) as a game-changing skill in their career.

05:01

🛠 Mastering DFMA and Manufacturing Processes

This paragraph delves into the concept of Design for Manufacturability and Assembly (DFMA), highlighting its importance in streamlining the manufacturing process and saving costs. The speaker explains the principles of DFMA, such as simplifying designs and standardizing components, and discusses the impact of poorly designed products on production. They also talk about the various manufacturing processes like 3D printing, CNC machining, and injection molding, and how the choice of material and production volume influences the selection of these processes. The speaker shares a strategy for mastering DFMA by focusing on one process at a time and gaining hands-on experience through internships and research positions, which provides invaluable practical knowledge.

10:02

🗣️ The Crucial Soft Skills for Mechanical Engineers

The final paragraph emphasizes the importance of soft skills alongside technical expertise for mechanical engineers. Communication is highlighted as a critical skill for conveying complex ideas effectively, both verbally and in writing. Creativity is also underscored as essential for innovation and problem-solving, with the speaker noting that it can be developed over time through engaging in activities one is passionate about. The speaker concludes by advising viewers to prioritize fulfillment over mere achievement, and to never sacrifice their health for work success, encouraging them to seek employment where they are valued if their current situation is unsatisfactory.

Keywords

💡Bachelor's degree

A Bachelor's degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities after completing a program of study, typically lasting four years. In the video's context, it refers to the narrator's educational background in mechanical engineering, which is foundational to their career and a key factor in landing their dream job.

💡Mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering is a discipline that combines principles of physics, mathematics, and material science to design, analyze, manufacture, and maintain mechanical systems. It is central to the video's theme as the narrator discusses their experiences and challenges as a mechanical engineer, as well as the skills needed to succeed in this field.

💡DFMA (Design for Manufacturability and Assembly)

DFMA is a set of principles and strategies that guide the design of products to be easily manufactured and assembled. It is a key concept in the video, as the narrator emphasizes its importance in streamlining the manufacturing process, saving time and money, and improving the employability of mechanical engineers.

💡Prototyping

Prototyping refers to the process of creating a sample or model of a product to test and refine its design before full-scale production. In the script, the narrator discusses the challenges and costs associated with prototyping and how it is a critical step in the product development process.

💡JLC 3DP

JLC 3DP is a service provider mentioned in the video that offers online 3D printing and CNC machining prototyping services. The narrator highlights it as a solution for quickly, cheaply, and precisely obtaining parts, which is essential for efficient prototyping and product development.

💡Manufacturing process

A manufacturing process is a series of steps or methods used to produce a good or product. The video discusses various manufacturing processes such as injection molding, casting, and CNC machining, emphasizing the importance of understanding these processes to design parts effectively using DFMA principles.

💡Employability

Employability refers to the qualifications, skills, and experience that make someone suitable for employment. The video suggests that mastering DFMA and being able to design for multiple manufacturing processes can significantly enhance a mechanical engineer's employability.

💡Communication

Communication is the activity of conveying information in an effective and clear manner. In the video, it is presented as a crucial soft skill for mechanical engineers, enabling them to convey complex ideas and technical information effectively, which is vital for collaboration and career progression.

💡Creativity

Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas to create something. The narrator mentions it as a top skill for business leaders and emphasizes its importance in a mechanical engineer's job to innovate and solve problems. The video suggests that creativity can be developed over time through various activities.

💡Fulfillment

Fulfillment refers to the state of being satisfied and happy because one has fully developed one's abilities or achieved one's goals. The video concludes with a reminder that personal fulfillment and health are paramount, and success should not be measured solely by professional achievements or recognition.

Highlights

The speaker emphasizes the challenges faced by new mechanical engineers in the industry, such as meeting project deadlines and maintaining good relationships with co-workers.

University education provides only a partial set of skills needed for industry success, highlighting the importance of additional skills beyond technical knowledge.

Design for Manufacturability and Assembly (DFMA) is identified as a critical hard skill that can streamline the manufacturing process and save costs.

Simplifying designs, minimizing parts, and standardizing components are key principles of DFMA that can lead to more efficient production.

The importance of prototyping in the early stages of product development and the challenges of time and cost associated with it are discussed.

JLC 3DP is recommended for quick, affordable, and precise part prototyping, with services that cater to various manufacturing needs.

Different manufacturing processes require unique design approaches, and understanding these is crucial for a mechanical engineer.

The selection of manufacturing processes depends on factors like annual volumes, product value, part geometry, required tolerances, and material.

Becoming proficient in multiple manufacturing processes, such as CNC Machining, injection molding, casting, and 3D printing, can significantly boost employability.

A strategy for mastering DFMA involves focusing on one process at a time and gaining hands-on experience through internships and research positions.

The impact of not understanding DFMA on the product development process, including potential delays and increased costs, is highlighted.

Effective communication is emphasized as a vital soft skill for conveying complex ideas and technical information to various stakeholders.

Creativity is identified as a crucial skill for innovation and problem-solving in mechanical engineering, with the potential to be developed over time.

The importance of focusing on fulfillment alongside achievement in one's career is stressed, with a reminder to prioritize health and well-being.

The speaker shares personal insights on the value of DFMA, communication, and creativity in advancing a mechanical engineer's career.

A call to action for mechanical engineers and students to consider DFMA from the beginning of the design process to avoid costly mistakes.

The video concludes with a reminder to subscribe for more insights on essential skills for mechanical engineers.

Transcripts

picture this you spent 4 years and 300

Grand on getting your bachelor's degree

in mechanical engineering at a top 100

University you did everything you were

supposed to do get good grades join

engineering clubs do internships

networked with people and prepare for

interviews all of your hard work paid

off and you landed your dream mechanical

engineering job but after working for a

year you find out that working in the

real world is totally not what you

expected you're struggling to meet

crital iCal project deadlines because

you're making mistakes all the time you

have a bad relationship with your

co-workers you can't seem to get a

promotion and nothing about your job is

straightforward like the homeworks and

projects that you did in University

these are just some challenges that you

probably have or will experience as an

ustry level or Junior mechanical

engineer I even went through a period of

lows when I first started out as a

mechanical engineer but those times

really gave me an opportunity to reflect

address my shortcomings grow and

ultimately get to where I am today while

university only partially equips us with

important technical skills and knowledge

to solve challenging problems this is

only one out of many ingredients needed

to succeed in Industry having worked as

a mechanical engineer in the consumers

electronics Industry in Boston and

Silicon Valley for over four years I

want to share with you three absolutely

game-changing skills and sever several

key insights that transformed my career

as a mechanical engineer in today's

video if someone had told me about these

thingses in University I would have

received way more job offers doubled my

salary in my first two years as a

mechanical engineer and most importantly

I would have loved my job way more now

the number one hard skill that changed

my life as a mechanical engineer is

designed for manufacturability and

assembly or dfma for sure it's a mindset

a strategy and a set of principles that

guide how we design products to be

easily manufactured and assembled poorly

designed products can lead to costly

delays production bottlenecks and

frustrated assembly teams but when we

apply dfma principles we streamline the

entire manufacturing process saving time

and money for the company so what

exactly are these principles it starts

with simplifying designs minimizing the

number of parts and standardizing

components imagine a product with

thousands of intricate Parts each

requiring Precision Machining and

assembly now picture the same product

redesigned with dfma principles in mind

fewer Parts simpler assembly and faster

production That's The Power of this

skill mechanical engineers design

hundreds upon thousands of parts for a

product whether it's a SmartPhone car

aircraft or robot in the early to

midstage of the product development

process we first have to test a bunch of

three 3D printed and CNC machine

prototypes to determine if the part and

system design are feasible competition

is higher than ever before so every

company is trying to shorten their

product development process and get

products to market yesterday I of course

experienced this firsthand as mechanical

engineer where all of our project

timelines were extremely tight because

of this we had to make split-second

decisions and had very little room for

error unfortunately prototyping is just

a very slow and expensive process by

nature and many of the local machine

shops and 3D printing companies had

these very long lead times and quoted

these exorbitant prices but luckily for

me I was able to get my parts made

quickly cheaply and precisely using jlc

3dp jlc 3dp offers the best industry

leading online 3D printing and CNC

Machining prototyping Services simply

upload your file instant quote and place

your order any weere anytime choose from

Five 3D printing Technologies three CNC

Machining processes a wide selection of

materials colors and surface finishes

and they'll take care of everything so

you can get the parts shipped directly

to you in any country and as fast as 3

days here are several 3D printed

electronic enclosures and miscellaneous

parts that I had them print for me and

everything was delivered right to my

doorstep perfectly packaged and within

specification the best thing is they

will automatically reval your your part

designs for manufacturability issues and

tell you exactly how to fix them if

you're working on a project and need

affordable 3D printed or CNC machine

parts fast be sure to check out the link

in the description below once you test

out a range of prototypes and nail down

high level design you'll need to start

the detailed design of parts and apply

dfma principles how you design a part

will depend on many factors one of which

is the manufacturing process used to

fabricate the part the same part that's

3D printed CNC machine and injection

moded will need to be designed

differently according to dfma principles

which manufacturing process you

ultimately choose to make your part will

depend on several key selection criteria

such as annual volumes product value

part geometry required tolerances and

material for example your material

choice will instantly rule out a good

number of incompatible processes diec

casting can only be used with metal

injection molding can only be used with

plastics or polymers while CNC Machining

can be used with both Metals Plastics

and even Diamond if talking about part

volumes plastic injection molding and

casting are typically for high volume

production where hundreds of thousands

or even millions of units are made per

year while CNC Machining is

traditionally for low to medium volume

production unless your Apple who is an

exception to every rule so a low volume

product could be a denture surgical

robot or Airbus 380 while a high volume

product could be an iPhone or a bottle

of coke now you might be thinking

there's a billion types of manufacturing

processes out there which one should I

become an expert at speaking from

experience CNC Machining injection

molding casting sheet metal forming 3D

printing welding and surface treatments

are all great to know for product design

if you're a dfma expert and you can

design and optimize parts for several

manufacturing processes your

employability is going to Skyrocket

you're going to get more job offers and

it's going to be hard for your boss not

to like you one strategy I use to master

dfma is simply by focusing on a single

process I was most interested in it's

very easy to feel overwhelmed if you try

and learn everything at once so for

example you can start off by

familiarizing yourself with the

underlying principle and theory behind

plastic injection molding know how an

injection molding machine works and the

different parts of the actual M like the

core cavity Gates Runners spru parting

line and the ejector pins next learn the

actual process steps of injection

molding like melting clamping injection

Cooling and ejection then try to

understand the key parameters of the

particular manufacturing process so for

example for plastic injection molding

there's melt and mold temperature

injection pressure and injection speed

know how all of these parameters affect

the part quality know what an undercut

feature is and understand why classic

straight pool mode can't make it take it

a step further and understand the

various techniques used to create

undercuts such as side actions and bump

offs understand what tolerances can be

achieved what draft angles are and how

much to use and limitations such as

minimum and maximum wall thickness as

well as screw boss and whole diameter

and height finally brush up on a com

defects for the process such as short

shot syn marks and warpage and how to

avoid them in your part designs now

simply rinse and repeat for other

processes like CNC Machining and casting

I know better than anyone that it's

challenging as a student to learn solely

by reading a textbook or watching

YouTube videos so one of the most

effective ways that helped me deepen my

understanding of dfma exponentially was

doing a mechanical engineering

internship and finding a design oriented

research position at my University the

reason is this forced me to work with

other Engineers machinists and

technicians in the machine shop and

manufacturing plant while their feedback

was brutal and made me want to kill

myself at times I learned how they set

up and operate CNC machines using G-Code

and cam software how to utilize

different tools to make certain part

features and ultimately the best way to

optimize my part designs for things like

manufacturability cycle time and cost

now I've worked with plenty of Engineers

and what I've observed is not knowing

anything about dfma will make your life

and job extremely miserable if you're a

product design engineer the parts that

we design are constantly evolving in

real time throughout the product

development process Dimensions positions

and part features like holes screw

bosses ribs chamfers fillets are

adjusted all the time as the overall

system is finessed when I say finessed I

mean the system design is optimized for

fit Form and Function and everything

including PCB boards screws sensors

Optical components and cables are where

they need to be in the cad model

typically throughout the mid to late

stages of the product development

process every custom part that we design

is sent off to suppliers for quoting

tooling and dfma feedback let's just say

you designed a plastic injection moded

part and sent the design to your

supplier but you forgot to add draft

angles and included some undercuts the

supplier then comes back and says you

need to add a 1° draft angle on all

vertical walls and slightly modify the

undercuts so that the part can be

ejected and you're thinking to yourself

okay no big deal right you go back and

update the cad model and notify the

electrical and Optical engineering team

of these changes they freak out because

the 1° draft angle is going going to

affect the optical performance and

because you modify the undercut slightly

the components on the PCB board have to

be moved around to prevent Collision

this is just one example of how not

knowing dfma can cause a huge chain

reaction and significantly delay a

project in some extreme cases new

tooling even has to be completely remade

because the product design engineer

fully neglected manufacturability when

designing Parts this is a company worst

nightmare because it's a double whammy

that's both extremely costly and timec

consuming so hopefully by this point in

the video I've convinced you enough of

the importance of dfma and it's

something you'll consider from the

get-go when designing Parts whether

you're a mechanical engineer or

engineering student don't wait until the

mid to late stages of the product

development process for suppliers to

review your designs if you're a student

have another pair of eyes like a

machinist critique your designs as early

on as possible and frequently to get

their expert opinion now as mechanical

engineers we don't just work in silos

designing Parts all day believe it or

not we do interact with people from all

walks of life including other Engineers

marketing sourcing regulatory management

suppliers and customers that's why

communication might just be as critical

as dfma even though it's a soft skill

effectively conveying complex ideas to

your team and Technical information to

non-technical people is not easy but it

will enable you to get noticed at work

and streamline your career progression

now communication isn't just about

speaking it could mean writing clear and

concise emails and crafting engaging

presentations frequently working in

groups giving a lot of presentations and

taking a public speaking course as a

student will help you become a better

Communicator another soft skill that's

rarely talked about but is is so crucial

is creativity a huge part of a

mechanical engineers job is to innovate

and come up with design ideas and

solutions to challenging problems on the

fly a recent survey of 1500 CEOs

conducted by IBM indicated creativity as

the top skill to have for Business

Leaders the good news is creativity can

be developed over time as the science

shows by simply doing things you love it

could be anything from reading a book

playing an inst strument painting

exercising to playing games one of my

favorite creativity boosters is taking

any object around me and drawing

different views of it on a piece of

paper similar to how mechanical

engineers create technical drawings

using CAD software so there you have it

dfma communication and creativity are

the top three skills that benefited me

the most as a mechanical engineer once I

mastered these skills I received more

job offers my career progress faster and

I loved my job more of course there are

a lot more skills that are needed to

succeed in industry along with a little

luck and strategy now before I end this

video I just want you to know that

wherever you are in your career it

doesn't matter if your boss says you're

successful or if a performance review

says you're successful what matters most

is if you think you're successful and

the work that you do serves the overall

picture you have for your life many

Engineers including myself work so hard

at huge personal expense to get that

next big promotion only to feel entirely

empty once they got it so never only

focus on achievement but instead

fulfillment because success without

fulfillment is simply failure so always

remember that your health is your wealth

because nothing including your family

friends job titles how much money you

have in a bank will matter if you don't

have good health so never value your

work above your life and if your

employer doesn't like you just leave and

find one that does all right guys that's

it for today as always thank you so much

for watching and if you found this video

helpful be sure to smash the Subscribe

button and check out my video here where

I share some other skills that

mechanical engineers must know and I'll

see you in the next one peace

[Music]