Everyone working in the engineering profession needs to be aware of current developments in order to comprehend their particular area of expertise very quickly especially in the field of mechanical engineering. Innovators in the fields of agriculture, transportation, environmental clean-up, safety, food production, housing, security, water resources, healthcare, etc. include mechanical engineers.
1. Additive Manufacturing or 3D Printing
In additive manufacturing, as the name suggests, the material is added to produce a 3D product. 3D printing is another name for additive manufacturing. For the process of additive manufacturing, an object’s model must be developed in any modelling software (CAD software) and saved in the .STL format. The product is essentially sliced into incredibly thin layers in this manner. Each additional layer of partially or fully melted material adheres to the layer before it. To create a 3D item with fine layers, this file must be transferred to an additive manufacturing or 3D printing machine. The 3D Printing Machine reads the data in the (.STL) file produced by the CAD Engineer using CAD software and processes it in accordance to produce accurate geometry shapes.
2. Internet of Things (IOT)
There is no requirement for human involvement in this system. Devices connected around a system allow it to be controlled from all directions. In order to transfer data through a range of networks, it is a system of mechanical and digital machines that are given UIDs. In reality, it combines real-time analytics with machine learning. The Internet of Things is enabled by traditional fields such as wireless sensor networks, embedded systems, automation, control systems, and others. Automobiles, thermostats, security systems, vending machines, alarm clocks, speaker systems, electronic appliances, and more are examples of things that fall under the umbrella of the Internet of Things.
3. Industry 4.0
One of the mechanical engineering developments known as “Industry 4.0” is focused on data interchange and automation in manufacturing technologies and processes, including the Internet of Things (IOT), artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT). In “Industry 4.0” factories, equipment is equipped with sensors and other wirelessly connected components so it can see the entire production line and make choices on its own.
The Components of Industry 4.0 includes
Internet of Things for manufacturing
Smart factory
Dark factories also known as Lights out Manufacturing
Smart Manufacturing
3D printing
Data visualization
Big data analytics and advanced algorithms
4. Digital Manufacturing
The manufacturing sector has a responsibility to model, simulate, and analyse the machines, input materials, and tooling as automated tools become more prevalent. By writing the G codes and M codes in software that can be run by a central computer, the name implies that manufacturing is controlled by numbers or numerals in the digital form.
5. Biomedical Engineering
BME, commonly referred to as medical engineering, is the application of design ideas and engineering fundamentals to biology and medicine for therapeutic objectives.
6. Nano Technology
It is defined as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1-100 nano meter. Nanotechnology defined by its size is very broad, including fields of science such as:
Micro fabrication
Molecular engineering
Surface science
Molecular biology
Energy storage
Organic chemistry
Semiconductor physics
7. Green Manufacturing
The “greening” of manufacturing refers to lowering emissions, reusing and recycling trash, and minimizing the use of natural resources.
8. Artificial insight and AI
A technical innovation known as artificial intelligence allows machines to imitate human behaviour. As AI is being used in the majority of the most cutting-edge mechanical disciplines, including advanced mechanics, VR, IoT, and other fields, it is surely the ultimate fate of every industry. One application of AI, known as AI, provides the framework with pre-programmed data about a machine without having it specifically customised beforehand.
9. Digital twins
Mechanical engineers will be able to electronically test items and manage machinery or tools from many manufacturers thanks to digital twins. Additionally, it will enable the development and testing of several intricate digital twin designs for use in various sectors. Since the last two years have seen expanded digital twin capabilities from all of the main cloud providers (Microsoft, Google, and AWS), it is likely that digital twin technology will move from add-on IaaS tools to a native PaaS system. Organizations will find it much simpler to integrate digital twinning on any platform if (or when) that occurs.
Future Trends in Mechanical Engineering
While AI, robotics, and additive manufacturing will probably be the main technologies influencing all areas of engineering over the next ten years, software and electrical engineers typically need the assistance of mechanical engineers to actualize their plans.
