CHAPTER ONE WHAT IS MECHANICAL ENGINEERING A strange car drives down the street It is sides look rough The top is open to the small with only two seats The dark gray air This is the Strati It is the first of its kind This car was made on a three-dimensional 3D printer The Strati belongs to Jay Rogers He runs a company called Local Motors Rogers thought too much money was wasted in designing cars He had a Engineers can now use 3D printers to build cars whether small models or full-size versions 5
new idea The body of this car is made from a strong plastic A 3D printer built up each part of it in layers In approximately 40 hours the 3D printer made a car Some parts such as the motor were made separately Still most of the car was made on the printer This is a new way of thinking about making cars Most cars are made on factory assembly lines Machines and workers make thousands of the same parts Then they combine these parts into identical cars With 3D printing cars are made one at a time A customer could design his or her own car The finished product might look different from any other car As the process gets better printing cars will be faster and cheaper The technology could be used to make many cars at a low cost These cars could even be recycled Each one can be melted down Then that plastic can be used to print a new car Manufacturing objects whether by traditional factories or 3D printers is one of the main jobs of mechanical engineers 6
3D printers build up objects one thin layer at a time Mechanical Engineers at Work The 3D printer is a great example of engineering at work Engineers use science to solve problems They design and build things to make life easier Engineers work in different areas Mechanical engineers design and build machines of all types Some design the engines in cars boats trains and planes Others may work with machinery at power plants or factories Mechanical engineers also develop 7
