A hands-on dive into modern manufacturing: CNC machining, woodworking, metal fabrication, plastic molding, laser cutting and 3D printing. Understanding how things are made is essential to designing for the future.
Every designer who has never stood at a CNC machine or held a freshly turned part is designing blind. Manufacturing at USU was about removing that blindspot permanently.
Context
A semester-long manufacturing course at Utah State University Engineering Technology, covering six process areas with hands-on lab time in each. The goal: make it impossible to design for manufacturing without having felt what manufacturing actually involves.
Approach
Processes covered
CNC Machining: G-code fundamentals, tool paths in Fusion 360 CAM, material removal rates, and surface finish control. Machined aluminum and HDPE parts from raw stock.
Woodworking: Hand tools through power tools, joinery, finishing, jig design. Built a small cabinet from hardwood with hand-cut dovetails.
Metal Fabrication: MIG welding, sheet metal bending, and basic forming operations. Fabricated a structural bracket assembly that was load-tested.
Plastic Molding: Injection molding concepts, draft angles, wall thickness rules, and mold design constraints that every product designer should internalize.
Laser Cutting: Materials science of laser interaction, kerf management, nested layout optimization.
3D Printing: FDM and SLA processes, support strategy, orientation for strength, and post-processing.
My role
I completed the full manufacturing curriculum at USU Engineering Technology, working hands-on through each process area. The cabinet, bracket, machined parts, and laser-cut assemblies are documented here.
Impact
Design decisions made in CAD have real consequences in manufacturing. Knowing those consequences (tolerances, cost drivers, failure modes) makes every future design decision more grounded.
