The engineering student must learn many disciplines in order to become a certified engineer. The Mechanical Engineer must learn about Physics, Mechanics, Thermodynamics, Fluid Flow, Static's, and Mathematics. In addition, the Electrical Engineer must know about electrical theory and electronic circuitry. But this is not all the engineer must consider when designing modern inventions and modifications to existing designs. There are four very important considerations each engineer must incorporate in his designs. These considerations are not always taught in engineering curricula, but are paramount in a successful design. They are:
- Safety - Probably the most important consideration in any design is safety of the use of the item. Designs of such things as aircraft, cars, trains, and even items like electric shavers and blenders must be designed so that they are safe to use. One of the safest designs ever made in modern times was the DC-3 aircraft. This airplane was first built in 1935. It was designed as a multiple passenger airplane that could carry several passengers hundreds of miles without mishaps. In order to assure that the aircraft was safe the designers made each component on it 100% stronger than the original calculations showed was needed. As a result, this airplane flew many miles and many years without a crash due solely to mechanical failure. In fact, some are still flying today, 70 years after it was first built!
- Durability - Again, the DC-3 was, and still is, very durable as shown by it's longevity of 70 years. Some of them are flying today in various parts of the world from the artic to Saudi Arabia. Products made in today's market are not as durable as products made several years ago. They seem to have a “planned obsolescence” built into them that guarantees they will fail over a short period in time. This, some say, is a ploy to sell more goods. I believe it is a lax in paying attention to quality. Case in point, the big three American automobile makers. In the 1970's through the 80's American made cars were not very reliable. They tended to break down after a few hundred miles. A classic example of this was the Ford Edsel which was so unreliable it had to be discontinued after a few years. It was then Volkswagon started to sell the VW Bug in this country. The big three said it would not sell in this country, but it did! Why did it sell? It was reliable and would last for many thousands of miles.
- Quality - Why did the VW sell to American buyers? Because it was reliable. What contributed to this reliability? The manufacturers paid attention to quality in engineering and construction of their cars. Gradually, the American car makers got the message, and started to make their cars with better quality. When I worked for the Air Force, from 1970 through the 1990's, they were buying a lot of electronic test equipment for their calibration laboratories world wide. Two manufacturers of this type of equipment employed outstanding quality in the design and construction of all types of test equipment. As a result, the equipment was more reliable than other types were. Therefore, these two manufacturers received more orders for their equipment than others did.
- Listen - I also worked for General Motors in two plants that built jet aircraft engines and heavy equipment transmissions for the military. Before I became an engineer, I worked on the production lines making these items. I found out during this time, that a machinist or inspector working on these lines knew lot about the particular job that they were doing. They also knew quite a bit about the equipment they were using to do their job. As a result, after I graduated from engineering school, I always tried to listen to the people who worked on the job to see what insight they could bring to improving the quality of the product. Just because you are an engineering graduate doesn't mean that you know everything about manufacturing products. My engineering supervisor told me right after I graduated that “Just because you have an engineering degree doesn't mean that you are an engineer until you solve some real problems”.
If you pay attention to these four considerations after you graduate, you will be a better and more effective engineer and have more success as a result.
