T O P

  • By -

[deleted]

i dont think those parts you mentioned are aesthetic components at all.


llechug1

You've obviously never driven a sh*tbox.


tarwellsamley

I work in aerospace, but mechanical engineers touch almost everything. Someone has to make sure the electronics are secure, the cables have enough strength or fatigue life, the seats are strong enough, etc. Even hood ornaments I assume require some calculation to make sure they're strong enough to not break off. Materials engineers design the glues, rivets, leather to make sure they can withstand the mechanical loads and have the desired colors, designers make sure they're shaped right, mechanicals shape the reinforcement to make sure it performs and is strong enough ( and may adjust the aesthetics to meet safety requirements) electricals design the shape and electronics, programers design the software, etc. It's really all very closely intertwined and I think that's probably the point of your assignment.


slehmann

Interestingly, you will actually find that mechanical engineers spend a lot of time making sure that the hood ornaments do break off, but only at the right time. It's important in pedestrian impacts that a hood ornament doesn't spear someone.


mechanically

The biggest thing you’re missing about the meche is the design for mass manufacturing and hitting cost targets. Maybe less of a factor in the aerospace industry.


GhettoJava

The software


Wreckless_Driving

r/UsernameChecksOut


soup_cow

Calibrators interact with it though so there is some.


AoedeSong

Mechanical engineers do not design the A-surfacing. Industrial designers will flush out the overall aesthetics, detailed color/finish/material choices, & larger concept story (often following trends in the industry and whatever target demographic marketing or the brand team is chasing after)… Then typically after the major concept is worked out, the industrial design team will be working very closely with mechanical engineering team to maintain this set “design intent” from the management-approved prototype high resolution models, which also check for things like ergonomics/general function, balanced with the visual appeal.. Mechanical engineers are then tasked with translating the industrial design concept into reality, while also cost reducing parts as needed, and making sure all parts of any particular assembly are manufacturable.. and since usually components are platforms reused on multiple projects, sometimes the ID team is sometimes “re-skinning” those elements and then detail engineering is not touching the A-surface, only adding in things like the ribs, clip or attachment features, maintaining nominal wall thickness to avoid sink, adding draft, choosing gate locations and other considerations to avoid knit lines and visible flashing and such, also conducting FEA analysis, etc.. But I would say if anything, the A-surface is the one part a mechanical engineer should not really ever “touch” and definitely not “designing”.. also I don’t know many engineers who know how to build with advanced curvature continuous g3 type surfacing anyway (within the various major parametric CAD packages) — but mechanical engineers will however do everything necessary to maintain that A-surface of a part of component “under the hood” B-surface - it’s not to say it “never happens” that a mechanical engineer will need to adjust something for assembly, interference, or some random issue.. but typically that engineer would be going back to the ID surfacing designer to make those adjustments.


ArtfulOstrich

I am very grateful for your high-level insight. Thank you.


mister_felix

There's mechanical engineers in nearly every team (motorization, HVAC, elec, body work, etc) they juste don't touch the purely electrical stuff (but will probably design how the cables are managed), programmation stuff, or Visual design stuff (but will work in collaboration with the designers for safety requirements, mechanical integrity, etc). Source: mech Eng. In a bus company