Education and Training

We provide cutting edge courses, training and bootcamps to empower current and future design and manufacturing engineers.

Capstone Design

Website: capstone.mae.ufl.edu

Capstone is the culminating project for UF MAE undergraduates. These 4th and 5th year students synthesize their technical and theoretical knowledge to design, build, and test mechanical and aerospace systems. The projects engage teams of students collaborating to solve real-world engineering problems under realistic constraints. Through this process, they develop critical skills to prepare them for engineering careers with mentorship from experienced faculty and teaching staff.

Capstone Showcase enables students to demonstrate their skills, show off their projects, and receive feedback from a broad range of stakeholders. Teams produce product portfolios, posted here, that include solution descriptions, image galleries, pitch videos, and interactive 3D models of their solutions.

ACE Bootcamp

Website: https://faculty.eng.ufl.edu/ace/

Learn what it takes to become a machinist–from the basics and beyond. Topics covered include:

  • Introduction to Machining – Chip formation, tool wear/coatings/materials/coolant, machining processes, machining equipment, CNC machining, computer aided manufacturing (CAM), and work holding.
  • Introduction to CAM – 17 brief lessons using Fusion 360 and example part.
  • Machining dynamics tutorial – Tool/work flexibility, cutting force, vibration types, chatter, stability maps, frequency response function, tap testing, examples
  • Additional CAM instruction using CAM+ – Download stand-alone app for simulating milling process (tap test, stability map, force/vibration) and simulate milling force and vibration for operating parameters specified in CAM, modify and update.
  • Introduction to Machining Cost – Includes tool wear, the influence of machining parameters, and the role of machining dynamics

Coming Soon: Courses on CNC Manufacturing, Reverse Engineering, Intro to CAD/CAM, 3D Printing.

Design and Manufacturing Laboratory

Website: https://mae.ufl.edu/designlab/

The MAE Design and Manufacturing Laboratory opened in the fall semester of 2003. The primary purpose of this facility is to provide practical, hands-on manufacturing experience to mechanical and aerospace engineering students. When coupled with the analysis skills and techniques studied in the department curriculum, this manufacturing experience will prove invaluable to those students who desire to become good engineers, as noted above.

Specifically, the principle goals of the MAE Design and Manufacturing Laboratory are threefold:

  1. To educate students in basic machine tool manufacturing to provide an understanding of what operations are possible with each type of machine.
  2. To inculcate a fundamental understanding of how critical proper dimensional tolerancing is to the overall price and method of manufacturing.
  3. To force the design students to think about how each component will be manufactured (and the fixturing required) during the design phase.