What is Mechanical Engineering?

Well, basically an engineer is someone who designs and makes things for example cars, ships, aircraft, space vehicles, bio-medical systems, electrical power generators, agricultural machinery and domestic appliances in fact everything that is needed for life in the twenty-first century. Mechanical Engineering covers the widest range of products of all branches of engineering and the Mechanical Engineer, who needs to be at the leading edge of technology, is probably the most versatile and therefore the most marketable of all Professional Engineers. Many engineers take on a more managerial role as their career develops.

There are various specialised fields of engineering involved in the production of, say, a new car. The Research Engineer will be concerned with fundamental research on aspects such as efficient fuel combustion, aerodynamics, control systems, structural mechanics and crash-worthiness. The Design Engineer will use this knowledge, together with various computer packages, to produce a new design that combines style with performance, quality and reliability. The Development Engineer will test the performance of the prototype in the wind tunnel and on the test track and, with the Design Engineer, will make any modifications necessary. Manufacturing Engineers will develop the manufacturing systems to produce the car in a cost effective way, which will involve high levels of automation with extensive use of computer based systems to complete the manufacturing process and to control the manufacturing system itself.