my classes for the last 3 years have been hard for me to push through. Almost none of them had direct applications to what real engineers did. They were all "simple" models of systems. NOW, all of my classes are using all of my past knowledge on these classes. And my curriculum is speeding through the real-life applications of 3+ years of coursework.
Three weeks ago, I programmed my first PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). I didn't even know what one was until that lab. And in 3 hours, I learned what it was, how it worked and even how to program it. The lab wasn't completed until I had successfully run a model car through a car wash, premium and regular cycle, completely automated. The last two weeks we've been doing CNC (Computer Numeric Control) operations; first on a lathe, then on a mill. We learned how to manually write the programs and then used some sweet software that wrote the code automatically when we imported drawings from CAD. Good thing we learned it in this order, as when my lab partner and I tried making an experimental part (which we were told as a class we could try to do, but almost no one did), the software messed up the signs on the depth on some of the lines.
Then today we're starting a chapter on 2-D heat transfer problems. All numerical models which means huge arrays of differential equations. Then we're moving on to 3D and FEA. I wish they told us back in CS 310 that we'd actually have to apply what we were learning about Matlab. Back then it was so simple because you were given everything and just plugged and chugged. Now, I have to create all of the equations myself and these arrays are ridiculous. At Toyo, I did FEA, but thank heavens I didn't have to write the programs; I just interpreted/analyzed their results.
I'm amazed at what I'm supposed to be able to do after I graduate/wondering what the hell I'm going to do once I am graduated.
Three weeks ago, I programmed my first PLC (Programmable Logic Controller). I didn't even know what one was until that lab. And in 3 hours, I learned what it was, how it worked and even how to program it. The lab wasn't completed until I had successfully run a model car through a car wash, premium and regular cycle, completely automated. The last two weeks we've been doing CNC (Computer Numeric Control) operations; first on a lathe, then on a mill. We learned how to manually write the programs and then used some sweet software that wrote the code automatically when we imported drawings from CAD. Good thing we learned it in this order, as when my lab partner and I tried making an experimental part (which we were told as a class we could try to do, but almost no one did), the software messed up the signs on the depth on some of the lines.
Then today we're starting a chapter on 2-D heat transfer problems. All numerical models which means huge arrays of differential equations. Then we're moving on to 3D and FEA. I wish they told us back in CS 310 that we'd actually have to apply what we were learning about Matlab. Back then it was so simple because you were given everything and just plugged and chugged. Now, I have to create all of the equations myself and these arrays are ridiculous. At Toyo, I did FEA, but thank heavens I didn't have to write the programs; I just interpreted/analyzed their results.
I'm amazed at what I'm supposed to be able to do after I graduate/wondering what the hell I'm going to do once I am graduated.
posted by Bruhaha at 11:21 PM
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