Mechanical Engineering for Makers

Mechanical Engineering for Makers

by Brian Bunnell, Samer Najia
Released January 2020
Publisher(s): Make: Community
ISBN: 9781680455878

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Buy on ebooks.com
Start your free trial

Book description

This practical, user-friendly reference book of common mechanical engineering concepts is geared toward makers who don't have (or want) an engineering degree but need to know the essentials of basic mechanical elements to successfully accomplish their personal projects. The book provides practical mechanical engineering information (supplemented with the applicable math, science, physics, and engineering theory) without being boring like a typical textbook. Most chapters contain at least one hands-on, fully illustrated, step-by-step project to demonstrate the topic being discussed and requires only common, inexpensive, easily sourced materials and tools. Some projects also provide alternative materials and tools and processes to align with the reader's individual preferences, skills, tools, and materials-at-hand. Linked together via the authors' overarching project -- building a kid-sized tank -- the chapters describe the thinking behind each mechanism and then expands the discussions to similar mechanical concepts in other applications. Written with humor, a bit of irreverence, and entertaining personal insights and first-hand experiences, the book presents complex concepts in an uncomplicated way.

Highlights include:

  • Provides mechanical engineering information that includes math, science, physics and engineering theory without being a textbook
  • Contains hands-on projects in each chapter that require common, inexpensive, easily sourced materials and tools
  • All hands-on projects are fully illustrated with step-by-step instructions
  • Some hands-on projects provide alternative materials and tools/processes to align with the reader's individual preferences, skills, tools and materials-at-hand
  • Includes real-world insights from the authors like tips and tricks ("Staying on Track") and fail moments ("Lost Track!")
  • Many chapters contain a section ("Tracking Further") that dives deeper into the chapter subject, for those readers that are interested in more details of the topic
  • Builds on two related Make: projects to link and illustrate all the chapter topics and bring individual concepts together into one system
  • Furnishes an accompanying website that offers further information, illustrations, projects, discussion boards, videos, animations, patterns, drawings, etc.

    Learn to effectively use professional mechanical engineering principles in your projects, without having to graduate from engineering school!
    •

    Publisher resources

    View/Submit Errata

    Table of contents

    1. Cover Page
    2. Copyright Page
    3. Contents
    4. 1 Mechanical Engineering – A Maker’s Perspective
      1. Basic Topics of Mechanical Engineering
      2. Simple Machines
      3. Materials
      4. Stress (in the mechanical sense)
      5. Static Structures and Dynamic Systems
      6. Thermal/Fluid Systems
      7. Electrical Engineering and Electromechanical Systems
      8. Design and Design Tools
      9. Manufacturing
      10. Two Tales of Maker Inspiration
    5. 2 So You Have and Idea for a Project – Let’s Make It Real!
      1. Project-Realization Process
      2. Define the Project Idea
      3. Define the Specifications
      4. Conceptualize (Sketch) the Concept
      5. Perform the Research
      6. Fabricate the Project Idea
      7. Test and Refine the Project Idea
      8. Air Horn Project
      9. Modularization of Design
      10. Object-Oriented Programming
    6. 3 Materials Selection – Plastics, Woods, and Metals
      1. Material Properties to Consider
      2. Types of Materials
      3. Examples of Material Shapes (Focus on Metals)
      4. Protection from the Environment
      5. Tool Availability
      6. Material Availability
      7. Materials Breakdown for Brian’s Tot-Size Tank
      8. Materials Breakdown for Samer’s Adult-Size Tank
    7. 4 Fasten-ating World of Fasteners & Adhesives
      1. Types of Fasteners
      2. Threaded Fastener Units of Measure
      3. Assembly Basics
      4. Corrosion
      5. Fixing Fastener-related Mistakes
      6. Adhesives
      7. Fasteners Used in the Tot-Size Tank
    8. 5 Shaping the Ship - Giving Your Project Structure
      1. Design Considerations for Structures
      2. A Static Structure Example – Tot-Size Tank Body
      3. A Dynamic Structure Example – Tot-Size Tank Tracks
    9. 6 Levers – Handling the Suspense
      1. Classes of Levers
      2. Classy Lever Contraption Project
      3. The Accordion Project
    10. 7 Pulleys – Get into the Groove
      1. Claw and Pulley Experiments
      2. The Door Frame Clampy Claw (DFCC) Detour Project
      3. Pulley Experiments Project
      4. PVC Articulated Crane (PAC) Project
    11. 8 Gears and Gear Trains – Grinding, Isn't It
      1. Types of Gears
      2. General Gear Nomenclature – The Simplest Example (the Spur Gear)
      3. Gear Ratios
      4. The Humble Can Opener – A Gear Ratio Discussion and Intro to Compound Gears
      5. Gear -Based Device Discussion: Differetial
      6. The Cog Gear Differential (CGD) Project
    12. 9 Why Stop Now?
      1. The Reality of Making vs. Engineering
      2. Pneumatic Paper "Rockets"
      3. Making a Pneumatic (Paper) Rocket Project
      4. Pneumatic Rocket Launcher Project
      5. Removable/Replaceable Model Rocket Booster Section
      6. Pneumatic Cannon – Harnessing the Power of Air
      7. Pneumatic Cannon – How it Works
      8. Altitude Payload Dropper – Using Hobby Servos, Sensors & Microcontrollers

    Product information

    • Title: Mechanical Engineering for Makers
    • Author(s): Brian Bunnell, Samer Najia
    • Release date: January 2020
    • Publisher(s): Make: Community
    • ISBN: 9781680455878