STUDENTS ENGAGING IN SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL CIRCLES IS THE WAY TO IMPROVE DESIGN TRAINING

Abstract

During the studying of students in the field of mechanical engineering, it is very important to carry out good practical training, within which they can confirm the acquired theoretical knowledge and try to apply them for the manufacturing of real objects. Unfortunately, there is no time left for any practice in the curriculum. The remaining practice has passed into the category of unnecessary and senseless time waste by the student, who is in no way interested in acquiring new skills and consolidating what has already been acquired. There is also usually no interest on the part of the enterprises in the quality of the internship. Thus, the higher education institution should take care of improving the design training of the students. In this work the influence of students’ participation in scientific and technical workshop on the success of theoretical knowledge acquisition is considered. The experience of the scientific and technical workshop “Modeling of complex engineering systems using 3D technology” is considered, which was created at the Department of Laser Systems and Advanced Technologies of the Ye. O. Paton Institute of Materials Science and Welding of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute to awaken in future specialists of the mechanical engineering the desire to work in the chosen specialty; development of spatial thinking; highlighting the prospects of engineering for the further development of the personality and society; outlining the main directions of development of computer-aided design systems and determining the importance of using preliminary modeling of complex engineering systems. The basis of the workshop was a 3D printer that can print large enough models of plastic filament. Examples of work on the design and construction of units are given that workshop members performed and the benefits of using these developments in the educational process to demonstrate ready-made units to future students’ generations. Thus, the members of the workshop developed optical-mechanical units with two lenses and the adjustment of one of them; designed and manufactured several adjustment units, etc. The work of students in the workshop increases the interest of students as a result of their activities and initiates a creative approach to work. The workshop has been operating for only two years convincingly evidence of the positive consequences of involving students in scientific and technical workshop and the need for more active involvement of students in the ranks of workshop members. High-efficiency of application of the full cycle method of product manufacturing – from the drawing to a ready unit – at the student’s request to acquire new knowledge and skills in designing and modeling of difficult units is proved.