Latest Module Specifications
Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026
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Description This module will develop the students understanding of the context of manufacturing and the functional organisation of manufacturing with communications and control systems, project and quality management techniques, concurrent engineering concepts (e.g. design for environment, product life cycle, reliability) and Manufacturing system design and control such as workflow design, batch and flow processing and simulation tools. The module will be delivered in the context of contemporary industrial practices, where students will visit modern manufacturing facilities to experience the integration of the electronic, control and ICT systems that they have learned about in previous Technology Education modules. This module will be delivered through classroom tutorials and computer laboratory sessions. Classroom tutorials will deliver theoretical content whilst being interactive and engaging students, providing time for exploration of the theoretical content and problem-solving exercises designed to further explore and consider the fundamental theoretical concepts. Tutorials will also provide the opportunity for students to develop skills associated with project management and quality management techniques and also to produce reports and conduct research in relation to case study activities and relating the content of the module to second level technology education. Practical labs will support students in developing skills required to implement project and quality management methodologies, where they will employ these methods in relation to the engineering project work that they are completing in the parallel module EGED08004. Emphasis will be placed on the management of project work in an educational context also, where they will adapt and recognise the importance of manufacturing systems methods for the successful and effective management of a practical educational workshop environment. The module will also offer students the opportunity to gain insight into contemporary and innovative manufacturing systems that are employed in industrial manufacturing enterprises related to their discipline and reflect on how this can be used to motivate and give context to pupils studying second level technology education. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Describe the quality attributes of a product and the impact that they have on its life-cycle, market share and manufacturing costs. 2. Outline a reliability programme to identify and measure the appropriate design specification parameters to ensure the reliability of a conceived product. 3. Apply Quality Function Deployment and Value Analysis methods to inform the design and manufacturing strategies of a product. 4. Integrate Design for Manufacture (DfM), Design for Assembly (DfA) and Design for Environment (DfE) principles into product and process design solutions. 5. Describe manufacture systems in terms of health and safety considerations and legislation, workflow optimisation, capacity management, scheduling methods and material resource planning. 6. Use appropriate ICT tools to identify, simulate, critique and report on industrial plant layouts with a view to optimising observed manufacturing systems. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
General: The students will experience Industrial Site Visits and Case Studies of a range of manufacturing enterprises to contextualise the content of the module: Industrial Manufacturing Systems and Practices: Manufacturing strategies and expected outcomes; Product/Process Matrices; Manufacturing as a component within a functioning enterprise; Costing Systems for Manufacturing. Project Management: Construct critical path diagrams for the design and execution of detailed projects; Identify, Schedule and Monitor the critical phases of a design and manufacture project using industrial project management techniques such as lean and six sigma methodologies. (E.G. Fish bone diagrams, Gantt charts, work flow diagrams etc.) Quality Management: Pareto Principle, x-R Contorl charts, Process capability methods; Sampling inspection systems; The concepts of - Quality Control, Quality Assurance and Total Quality management and their impact on behavioural and organisational factors; Statistical methods for quality management and optimisation of manufacturing systems. Quality and Cost relationships within manufacturing; Reliability - Reliability features, Product testing, its impact on product quality, performance, life cycle, cost, sustainability etc. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List Books:
Articles: None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Other Resources None | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||