Manufacturing Engineering MEng

This module will cover design, processing and material aspects of additive manufacturing and 3D printing technologies, as well as the current and potential applications of the technology in a wide variety of sectors. Topics include commercial and experimental systems, material requirements, design for additive manufacturing, software and systems, as well as case studies in industry and society.

The module will introduce the relevant background and fundamental concepts regarding the integration of different Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in modern manufacturing systems. Focus will be placed on understanding topics such as cyber-physical systems, adaptive and autonomous manufacturing, digitalisation, data analytics and emerging business models through a series of relevant case studies.

The project aims to give experience in the practice of engineering at a professional level. It involves the planning, execution and reporting of a programme of work which will normally involve a mixture of experimental, theoretical and computational work together with a review of relevant previous work in the field.

Topics include:

• working as a human factors engineer/HCI professional
• predictive evaluation techniques (eg GOMs, Fitts Law)
• psychophysical methods
• verbal protocol analysis
• qualitative approaches and methodologies
• eye-tracking methodologies
• ethical considerations in human factors research
• capturing and analysing human physiological data

This module will provide you with a thorough understanding of cognitive ergonomics and the way in which the consideration of cognitive ergonomics can impact on human performance in the workplace.

• Cognitive psychology and ergonomics
• The human as information processor: Memory and attention, mental models,
• Human Workload
• Displays, controls, consoles and control rooms
• Decision making, automation
• Situation awareness
• Decision support systems, decision making biases,
• Situated cognition and joint cognitive systems

This module will provide students with a thorough understanding of the growth of IT and human computer systems. To examine the concepts and methods available for the analysis, design and evaluation of computer-based interfaces through hardware, software, task and systems design. 

A broad-based module covering the chemistry, material properties and manufacturing methods relevant to polymers. Topics include:

1. Polymer structure
   
2. Viscoelasticity, time-temperature equivalence
   
3. Rheology of polymer melts, heat transfer in melts, entanglements
   
4. Properties of solid polymers, yield and fracture, crazing
   
5. Manufacturing with polymers, extrusion, injection-moulding
   
6. Design/processing interactions for plastic products
   

A thorough understanding of Human Factors/Ergonomics is critical to the successful design and implementation of products, workplaces, jobs and systems. This module focuses on the physical characteristics of people (e.g. body size, strength, flexibility, vision and hearing abilities) and considers how to account for an individuals fundamental needs, capabilities and limitations. Ultimately, such an understanding will lead to products, workplaces, jobs and systems which promote productivity, health, safety, comfort, etc. 

The syllabus covers: Structure and functioning of the human body; anthropometry (human body dimensions) and product/workplace design; biomechanics (loadings on the human body); work-related upper-limb disorders; manual materials handling; risk assessment for work-related musculoskeletal disorders; designing and assessing environments to account for visual, acoustic, thermal and vibration factors.

For human factors/ergonomics work, simulation tools can enable designers, managers and end-users to experience products and systems in realistic, interactive environments. Such advancements have significant cost implications, enabling designs and their implications to be visualised early in the development lifecycle. In addition, virtual/augmented reality and other advanced human-machine interfaces (HMIs) are being developed in many different industries (e.g. transport, defence, manufacturing, healthcare, media) to support different user needs (e.g. for safety, training, education, entertainment).

This module will provide students with the knowledge and skills required to understand and utilise computers as Human Factors tools for understanding peoples’ interactions with new technology. Moreover, the module will consider HMIs that are increasingly common in modern life and frequently designed and evaluated using simulation techniques. The module is a mix of practical and research-oriented content and students will make extensive use of the simulation facilities (e.g. car, airplane, operating theatre) and on-going research projects within the Human Factors Research Group and elsewhere in the university.

Topics include:

• virtual reality technologies/environments/interfaces
• augmented reality
• fidelity and validity of simulators
• presence factors for simulation
• understanding and minimising simulator sickness
• multimodal interfaces including the use of natural language and gesture interfaces, computers and collaborative/social interfaces, accessibility, in-car interfaces 

This modules aims to give an understanding of systems approaches to the design and analysis of effective and safe work, primarily in the context of industrial systems but also in relation to major projects, public and social systems and digital systems.

It is vital that students learn that technical, human, organizational and economic factors must be addressed when understanding the operation and potential failure in existing systems, and in developing requirements, implementation and evaluation approaches for social and socio-technical systems, and for systems of systems.

In this module, particular attention will be paid to distributed (in time and space) systems and ones with elements of automated processes (all of which will have to interact with human and organisational elements at some point and time). The potential causes of accidents and of human error are explained, and an introduction given to methods of reporting and investigating accidents and techniques for analysing accidents and systems reliability which will lead to the design of safer organisations and work systems.

Topics covered include:

• risk and risk perception
• risk assessment and management
• accident models and accident causation
• causes of human error
• epidemiology, accident reporting and analysis
• accident prevention
• human reliability assessment
• safety climate and culture
• safety systems management