This paper focuses on enhancing the integration of manufacturing principles and concepts within curricula in mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology education programs. The field of manufacturing engineering covers the broad spectrum of topics derived from the definition, “Manufacturing requires that a modification of the shape, form, or properties of a material that takes place in a way that adds value”. (ABET, Inc. 2010) The ASME’s Vision 2030 surveys of industry engineering supervisors and early career mechanical engineers have illustrated that the curricula of mechanical engineering and related programs have an urgent need to enhance students’ comprehension of ‘how things are made and work,’ e.g., the knowledge and skills needed to design and efficiently produce products via high-performance systems. (Danielson, et. al. 2011) This session is designed to be primarily a dialog among the participants and the presenters, focusing on a model for the manufacturing field called The Four Pillars of Manufacturing Knowledge, developed by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME 2011a), and how it relates to mechanical engineering education. Broader issues and resources related to enhancing manufacturing education are also presented.

The majority of the thousands of industrial arts majors that graduate each year in the nation take jobs in business and industry—not as teachers in schools and colleges as in the past. Many counselors are unaware of this and many other important facts about the field of industrial arts. This article provides insights to prepare job counselors as they counsel potential and established industrial arts majors and graduates.

tiple cavities of the mold, close and clamp the mold, and then-while that "mold" sets in the oven and another is cooling-open the third set and remove the product components. These slide down a chute for minor de-flashing Case Two: NTCThe second firm, NTC, manufactures over-the-road trucks. In 1996 a new product was introduced at the existing production facility: a molded fiberglass and stamped aluminum cab body, representing a substantial departure from prior all-metal fabricated designs. Some apprehension existed in the workforce about the new skills and roles the workers would have to adopt, as well as from the perception that jobs would be lost.To counteract this anxiety and to encourage an increase in productivity, NTC embarked on an experiment in workforce empowerment. Previously, there were few if any definitive examples of team activity. By forming a planning and implementation team involving the workers who would stay on, management hoped to minimize technical risk and enhance the acceptance of the new processes.

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