Learning Activities

A number of activities are conducted in the various courses in the curriculum to reinforce the concepts taught.

Industrial Projects

To provide immediate application of the skills and knowledge from specific courses, projects at local industrial plants, which have considerable relevance to the host businesses, are assigned to teams of MMM degree program students.

During the fall semester, student teams in QMM 551, Quality Management, do re-engineering studies at local industrial plants. Three examples of these projects are:

• QQA Process for Capillary Finished Goods Products at Supelco
• Maintenance Shop Warehouse Inventory Management Process, Ruetgers Organics

During the spring semester, student teams in QMM 582, Manufacturing Strategy and Organization, do a field study on the business and manufacturing strategies of a firm in Central Pennsylvania. Three recent examples of Manufacturing Strategy Field Projects are:

• New Holland North America, Skid Steer Loaders Operation, Belleville, PA Plant
• SKF USA, Altoona, PA Plant
• Veeder-Root Company, Altoona, PA Plant

Product Development Exercises

In order to provide experience in developing products from customer demand to delivery, including manufacturing and supply chain issues, student teams are assigned to both short- and long-term product development projects. The task for student teams is to "develop a marketable product that can be manufactured in a profitable manner." In order to avoid 'clever gadgets' for which the need is difficult to measure, teams begin by identifying an unmet or under-met need in the marketplace. When they confirm the need in the marketplace, they develop a product concept, build concept mock-ups, and test them with focus groups of customers. Based upon potential customer feedback, they define features and select materials, estimate demand during new product introduction, choose marketing channels, develop functional prototypes, estimate manufacturing costs, and develop a business plan. The final project presentation outlines the business plan and includes a "trade-show" style display, product information sheet, and final prototype that is a shop artifact, but that should be fully functional and made from the materials that are specified in the final design. 

Below are some of the products that the MMM students created.

• Keep-it-Dry bag —Water-resistant bag to secure briefcase and dress shoes in bad weather
• Travel-Leash —"Leash" that attaches briefcase or laptop to deter theft
• Quick-Trader —Spring loaded device that delivers clean, crisp business cards one-at-a-time
• Docu-mate —Flexible "snake" device that clips to laptop
• Nomad travel putter —Golf putter that permits 50% size reduction to enable packing in standard luggage.

• Professional makeup bag —Makeup bag with the 'look and feel' of a daily planner.
• LaundryGuard basket enhancer —Mesh net with drawstring closure and storage pockets that attaches to standard laundry baskets.
• Staff-n-Net fishing device —Collapsible fishing net that self-stores.
• MudBuster bicycle tire cleaner —Brush device that attaches to a hose.
• Caddy Pack —Bag that attaches to a belt that stays on a golf bag.
• Cordless phone notepad —Notepad/pen slot attachment for a cordless or cellular telephone.
• ProWax single use car wax pad —Reversible "mit". Designed for occasional car waxers.

• Sedan trunk "backpack" —"Backpack" that attaches to the inside trunk lid of a sedan.
• "Minifoam" low foam beer pouring solution —Reduced "foam-up" when filling pitchers from pressurized kegs.
• Hair-free hair brush —Hairbrush attachment that enables tangled hair (human or pet) to be easily removed.
• Reversible purse —Designed for traveling style-conscious professional women.
• Integral ski lock —'Combination' lock and cable device that permanently attaches to ski.
• Automobile food tray —Attaches to car interior to provide easy-to-access food holder within normal dashboard & windshield sight lines.
• Lockable compact disk storage case —Locking device cannot be 'broken' without breaking the CD's.

• Can-Panion http://www.smeal.psu.edu/qmm/images/canpanion.jpg—Food/Beverage tray on a stick
• Tree Daddy http://www.smeal.psu.edu/qmm/images/treedaddy.jpg—Christmas tree watering system
• Executive Exchange —Business card holder/dispenser
• Deice-n-scrape —Ice scraper and spray de-icer all in one
• Lapadillo http://www.smeal.psu.edu/qmm/images/lapadillo.jpg—Slim hardshell laptop case
• Spillmaster —The no-splatter paint can adapter

Plant visits

A typical visit to a manufacturing plant for an MMM degree program class begins with an introduction to the management team and a short presentation describing the processes conducted at the site and the products produced. Also, the class is briefed on the plan for the tour conduct and the processes that will be shown. A plant tour typically takes two hours.

An example was the tour of Ford's Wayne Stamping and Assembly plant. At the stamping facility students witnessed the stamping and welding of Ford Focus panels into a complete body assembly. The assembly was then transported to the assembly facility across an overpass where it was painted and the engine, drive train, dash board, seats, electronic components, etc. were installed to produce a product that was driven off the end of the line. Thus the students witness the production of an automobile from metal sheet to completion.

Other tours have involved the manufacture of electrical distribution systems, cameras, copy machines, chocolate bars, breakfast cereal, etc.

Laboratory Exercises

In order to provide physical conception of the capabilities and limitations of manufacturing processes and to understand the interrelationship between design and actually manufacturing products; hands-on practice in such processes as foundry production, injection molding, welding, soldering, metal forming, rapid prototyping, and dimensional tolerancing are provided in laboratory exercises.

An example of a laboratory exercise is that in the foundry. Here the students fabricate a sand mold from a pattern, fill the mold with molten metal, break out the resultant cast product after cooling and examine the casting for defects caused by the molding and casting process. Also, the students investigate the heat transfer properties of various mold materials and the effects of variables such as temperature and time on the casting process. These exercises are related to quality and productivity issues in manufacturing.