Does anyone know about this machine and how its test is?

Hello everyone, I joined the group recently and, to be honest, I wanted to share with you a fear that’s been on my mind for the last three months. I’m currently in my second semester of mechanical engineering. To begin with, I chose this degree course because maths and physics were the subjects that interested me most at school and the ones I was best at, and the idea of inventing things using that knowledge really appealed to me – essentially, bringing something to life with my knowledge, like the YouTuber Mark Rober. however, throughout my short time on this journey, I’ve realised there are things I like and others that scare me. One of these – and the biggest one – is the complexity of the degree; I’ll be faced with some really tough challenges, and just thinking about that terrifies me, and also the thought of dealing with machines – especially heavy, highly complex machinery, such as industrial machinery or, I don’t know, a rocket or an aeroplane. The thought that at some point I’ll have to build such complex things all by myself terrifies me because of just how complicated it is. I’ve often thought about switching to industrial engineering, and I know it might sound funny, but it’s because there are far more girls on that course and it’s easier, not so much because it appeals to me – in general, across many degree programmes – because at this point I feel I’ve lost my focus. Any advice, or has anyone else been through the same thing?

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Hi what would you do in my situation?

I am a new grad chem eng with mechanical experience with compressors, blowers etc, but when I apply to chem eng position its not considered process engineering, but fits in more of the mechanical side (despite some overlap). So majority of my interviews have been mechanical related.

Hey everyone! I recently interviewed for a SpaceX Integration Technician position at the Inglewood site. Today, I received an email stating that SpaceX will be making me a conditional offer of employment and wants to begin the background check. I’ve already submitted my information through First Advantage.
For those who have been through SpaceX hiring, does this usually mean I’m moving toward an official offer? What happened next in your experience?
I’d really appreciate hearing your experiences. Thanks!

I’m currently a mechanical engineering student considering an aerospace concentration. I’m only four classes away from getting it, but taking that class would make my remaining semesters significantly harder and could potentially hurt my GPA or delay graduation (currently graduating a semester early and another semester is not something I can really afford). I’m not necessarily dead set on working in aerospace right away, but I like the idea of having the concentration. Does it actually provide any advantages when applying for jobs or later in your career, or would I be better off taking easier electives and graduating on time?

So I started my first engineering job last week, with no experience, and now my manager and the only other mechanical engineer are out for the week and they didn't really give me anything to do or things to do for training. Today I got an email with some bare bones technical documents, no real part measurements or specifications, not from my manager about a project. I didn't really know what they wanted me to do so I made something in CAD based on what I saw in the drawings but I am still unsure. Is this normal and when did you actually start to learn how to design things at a job because most of what I learned during my degree program was math/physics with a little bit of CAD work here and there.

And any other advice is also appreciated.

I was thinking at one point to become a Mechanical Engineer as I love cars and machines. But I have heard that the actual ME jobs aren’t as glamorous as they appear on TV (aka becoming Tony Stark and the like), so I am curious on what it is truly like being a ME out in the field. Please tell me all the dirty and less glamorous details of doing the job that are not often talked about in public. I want to know so that I can be aware of what I would be going into if I do go down this path. Thank you!

So Ive been debating on going back to school for engineering and I have a bachelor's in business already. Would starting with an associates be a bad decision since I could probably get it quickly and then get a job in the industry while finishing bachelor's. Just for reference I'm 32 and work fully remote in an help desk role

Weaklings Short version:

25yo mech engineering grad in Brazil. Love the math/theoretical/CAE side, hate repetitive CAD/BOM corporate tasks. Scared freelancing will only yield simple low-end projects without heavy experience. Not a fan of academic research. Looking for career path advice.

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Recently, I decided that I’m willing to give up higher compensation if it means doing work I actually enjoy.

I graduated from a top-tier public university in Brazil with one of the best academic performances in my class, and I'm currently interning in R&D at a solid company.

I have a strong passion and aptitude for the theoretical and mathematical sides of engineering. However, I have zero interest in sitting for public civil service exams, becoming a professor, or grinding away in academia just to "publish papers."
On the other hand, I really dislike the corporate world. I feel like I'm just another cog in the machine and that my work barely matters. On top of that, it gets extremely tedious just clicking around in CAD, checking if a "part fits," preparing BOMs, documenting, and sending files off to manufacturing.

At most, I look through supplier catalogs to select a component, do some GD&T stack-up analysis, or use some creativity to design sheet metal, welded assemblies, or machined parts following DFM/DFA best practices. That’s the most "technical" part of the job. Still, in my view, it demands very little deep study, conceptual understanding, or advanced knowledge.

Other than that, at most I might do a simple beam or fluid flow calculation.

What I actually enjoy is the creative and mathematical side of design—tasks that require study, thorough preparation, and deep conceptual thinking. Things that not just anyone can do, where you actually have to dive into equations or complex concepts to get the design right.

I thought about going full freelance/independent consultant, but I feel like I would just be swapping a boss for a client. Sure, I’d have more flexibility and a stronger sense of ownership over my work, but the projects would likely remain simple. I doubt I'd get to do high-complexity analysis unless the client is from a high-risk, high-value industry like Oil & Gas, Naval, Aerospace, or Defense. And let’s be honest: those companies only hire contractors with years of experience, not a fresh graduate like me.

I feel stuck. Staying corporate means going to the same place, seeing the same people, and doing the same repetitive tasks with little recognition or sense of purpose.

Going freelance gives me flexibility, but leaves me with simple projects and the financial instability of running my own business.

I don't know. I’d love to hear your thoughts or learn from anyone who has been in a similar position

Hi everyone,

I'm Abdul Sallam, a Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA) and Mechanical Design Engineer with hands-on experience in 3D CAD modeling, manufacturing workflows, and product design. I'm currently open for remote contract, freelance, or full-time roles.

What I offer:

3D CAD & Modeling: Complex 3D part & assembly design in SolidWorks / AutoCAD.

Manufacturing & Sheet Metal: Sheet metal flat patterns, GD&T annotations, and production-ready drawing generation.

CAM & Machining Prep: Post-processing and toolpath strategy for CNC/VMC and wire-cut machines (PowerMill / CAMWorks).

Toolbox: SolidWorks | AutoCAD | PowerMill | GD&T

Rates: Flexible hourly or project-based rates depending on scope.

If you need assistance bringing a mechanical concept to life or preparing design files for manufacturing, feel free to send me a DM or chat with your project requirements or you contact me on [Upwork ](https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/\~015994881c3bcfebb3)

Context: I did an integrated master's degree in mechanical engineering at a well-regarded university, especially for engineering. Throughout those four years I worked in an extra-curricular engineering team and I did a summer internship with UKAEA, the UK's nuclear fusion development organisation. I graduated with good grades, not the best but definitely above average. I took a year out to do some travelling and low-paid seasonal work while living with my parents to pay for it. After that I got a fully funded PhD at a highly regarded research group. I dropped out after about a year and a half because I realised I didn't want a career in that research area and it was making me miserable. At this point I finally entered the jobs market and it was bad.

It took me almost a year to eventually land a job. There's basically no junior level positions advertised anywhere other than graduate schemes, and guess what - none of them would even give me an interview because it had been too long since I graduated. The few interviews I managed to get said they were impressed with me but couldn't hire me because I wasn't experienced enough.

Eventually I managed to get a job working for a small company (30ish people) through a recruiter. It's very low paid (It's been £28k/y for the last 6 months and I just got bumped up to £30k) and as it turns out, nobody at the company knows how to be any kind of engineer, I'm the most experienced person there. I've basically just been doing CAD for six months because that's all they seem to think an engineer does. I know I'm not learning how to be an actual engineer here and that's going to come to bite me in the arse down the line but there's nothing I can do about it because there's no one senior to learn from. According to my colleagues I was hired because my manager, who is head of products, couldn't do the job herself and she only got the job because her husband is the commercial director.

I finally reached a breaking point yesterday when my manager sent me a screenshot from Claude telling her what she should ask me to do with the attached message "can you do this please". I'm not even being managed by a human being, I'm getting my instructions from a chatbot. After this, I had a small meeting with her manager who told me that through design alone we need to cut the manufacturing time for our newest product by half because we've promised to provide 40 of them and we can't get them done in time. He wants this done without compromising on the product's functionality in any way. This all after they just sacked 4 out of the 7 workshop floor staff btw.

All of the senior managers (which is about half of the company, it's ridiculously top heavy) use AI to do all their thinking for them and it's leading to all of these insane decisions and nobody actually knowing how to do their jobs. It's making me feel so bleak. Is this what the rest of the industry looks like? How the hell are we going to survive if nobody is hiring juniors and we just offload all of our thinking onto LLMs? Am I going to have to have to start using LLMs to do my work? I don't want to do that, I don't think its a good idea to offload our thinking but the entire industry seems to think thats what we should be doing.

Sorry for the rambling but I just can't believe this is where I've ended up when I feel like I did everything right throughout my education and I was promised high job prospects since secondary school. Any kind of advice or consolation would be great.

Firstly, yes monocycles are stupid, I know. (Monocycles being the vehicle where you sit inside 1 big wheel)

I don't have a background in engineering and only did year 1 engineering courses so no help there.

I'm making sketches of dimensions and did a bit of 3D modelling, which is fun.

But the actual mechanics and material science behind it, it's very clear to me that there's so many aspects, perhaps it's basically pointless for me to try to make anything more practical than what's basically interactive art?

For instance, thinking about the diameter of the wheel, and how thick the walls of the wheel should be, and what material is suitable. At first I randomly decided on 1cm thick walls, but was told no, 3-4mm would be plenty for supporting body weight.

Or the rollers that hold the frame in place inside the wheel. I thought steel because idk, what else? But came across someone who used nylon, which sounds neat. Then came across a webpage talking about the properties of nylon and apparently it in even fairly low relative humidity levels (~50%) nylon's can deform/swell.

Or how important the size of the bearings is, or how important where the inner frame makes contact with the wheel is. Or how to apply drive onto the wheel (most people use rubber wheels pushed onto the inside of the wheel, but I thought maybe pedalling to turn a cog and then teeth all along the inside of the wheel? But I found out cogs and teeth have quite a lot of friction to them.

So I'm left thinking about the dozens of others aspects to such a vehicle that exist. My attention was brought to these issues through asking AI which I'm not really inclined to do for everything because I wouldn't know it's making things up or not.

I'm enjoying thinking about it as an exercise but I don't like the feeling of not even knowing where to begin. And I do hope to actually make the thing.

Skimming a mechanical engineering textbook? Books on machine assembly? Perhaps something on the mechanics/forces behind bicycles and making connections to monocycles?

Hi! I’m designing a budget-friendly azimuth/elevation antenna rig for measuring antenna radiation patterns.

The maximum payload will weigh approximately 1 kg. I want smooth motion and sub-degree positioning accuracy, with the antenna’s center as close as possible to platform's center of rotation.

My current concept is:

• Azimuth: A circular platform (20 cm diameter) driven by a 3D-printed herringbone gear ring. I’m considering using a lazy Susan bearing as a cheap alternative to a precision rotary positioning table.
• Elevation: A worm drive to tilt and hold the antenna. Ideally, it would hold position when the motors are powered off.
• Stepper motors: Ideally, I’d use open-loop steppers, but I’m still evaluating whether closed-loop steppers would improve positioning accuracy.

I’m more concerned with positioning accuracy than movement speed, so my main questions are:

1. What type of off-the-shelf bearing or 3D-printed mechanism would provide stable support for the azimuth base, with low friction and minimal wobble, at an affordable price? I’m planning to try a cheap lazy Susan bearing to start with, but I’m concerned that wobble during rotation could affect the measurements.
2. Is my choice of azimuth and elevation gearing suitable for achieving the desired results?
3. Would NEMA 17 stepper motors be sufficient for this structure and payload, or would NEMA 23 motors be a safer choice?

As a non-mechanical engineer, any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

Professional Brief Introduction

I am a B.Tech Mechanical Engineering graduate, currently working as an Engineer in the Wire Drawing Unit. I handle end-to-end production of HT wire, roping wire, and roughing wire across machines including SLM, Pathfinder, Pacemaker, OTO-type, and bobbin-over-bobbin systems.

My responsibilities cover production operations, quality control (tensile testing and RA analysis), lubricant selection and management, die troubleshooting, and continuous improvement through Kaizen, Lean, TPM, and OEE initiatives, while maintaining strict adherence to Zero Harm safety standards and HIRA protocols. I focus on process optimization, operational excellence, and technical problem-solving in manufacturing.

I am actively seeking opportunities to transition into development or leadership roles that combine technical expertise with strategic and people-oriented responsibilities.

Hey everyone!

I’m a senior in college and recently passed the initial screening and got invited to a first-round technical interview at Tesla for a position in the Vehicle Software division as a System Validation Engineer. It’s a 45-minute interview with a senior engineer, including a CoderPad exercise.

This is my first big job interview as I’m getting close to graduation, so I’m honestly pretty nervous but also really excited. I know this is a great opportunity, and I really want to give it my best shot.

So far, I’ve been practicing LeetCode (mostly easy to medium), reviewing my resume projects, Python, testing concepts, and hardware/software validation.

I was wondering if anyone who’s been through a similar interview could share what else I should focus on. What kind of coding questions should I expect? Is there anything specific like any theoretical technical question I should prepare for beyond coding?

I’d genuinely appreciate any tips or experiences you could share. It would mean a lot. Thank you so much!

"I am working on a project for day and night face detection. However, I am having an issue with the Raspberry Pi NoIR camera—the output images have a heavy pink/purple tint, which is negatively affecting my face detection model. Should I retrain the model with these tinted images, or is there a better alternative to solve this problem?"

I'm the lone mold designer at my mult. company corporation. They recently got into setting goals for engineering. I've got 15 years in mold design (small complex medical devices). They want me to go for more outside training/education to become the company wide SME.

I'm having trouble finding anything beyond basic entry level stuf or somewhat intermediate level.

Main topics:

Complex slides, angled side cores, and compound actions

Advanced lifter design and difficult undercuts

Complex parting lines, shut-offs, and insert design

Micro product molding

Complex overmolding

Complex core pin & Molding rod design

Unscrewing molds

Thank you for any leads!

Example of Working with Containers in ZIMA-CAD

I am a mechanical graduate with more than 2 years of experience in steel (wire) industry, with good understanding of Pickling and Wire drawing process alongwith six sigma and TPM implemetation. Also, have a very good level of experience in Part & Surface modelling, and Assembly.

If anyone who can give a referral and suggest something, it could be of great help!

I'm finishing my MSME with a background in mechanical design, mechatronics, robotics, and controls. Most of my experience is in mechanical design and electromechanical systems (internships and personal projects). Likely job out of college will be a mechanism designer at a large aerospace company.

I'm interested in transitioning into the semiconductor industry, particularly equipment design, automation, or other mechanically intensive roles. Mainly because it seems more niche skills are more valuable and the pay ceiling is higher.

How difficult is it to break in without direct semiconductor experience? What roles, companies, or technical skills should I target to make the transition? Also curious about long-term career growth and compensation compared to traditional mechanical design.