Advanced manufacturing industrial doctorate centre : engineering doctorate students collaborating with industry within an academic and industrial environment

Evans, Dorothy (2016) Advanced manufacturing industrial doctorate centre : engineering doctorate students collaborating with industry within an academic and industrial environment. In: 18th International Conference on Engineering & Product Design Education, 2016-09-08 - 2016-09-09.

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Abstract

The University of Strathclyde (UoS) acknowledged the importance and need for an Advanced Manufacturing Industrial Doctorate Centre (AMIDC) which is jointly supported by the University's department of Design Manufacture and Engineering Management (DMEM) and their industry-focused research centre, the Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC). The Engineering Doctorate (EngD) students work with both Industry and academia during the four year programme giving students an unparalleled opportunity to engage with these companies in an academically accredited manner. This presents the students with a unique learning opportunity and further adds an important element of experience of working in the Design and Engineering industry both at the strategic high level and at the operational day-to-day level. So far, the industrial partner companies have all been large Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM's), these companies all are engaged in the design and production of highly specified technologically complex products that are sold around the world, these companies are in some cases world leaders in their market place. It could be argued that because of the high value and manufacturing complexity these companies must invest in research and can see the long term benefits in investing in the EngD programmes. These large companies all have their own well-managed research design and engineering methods and procedures, these methods and procedures are sometimes at variants with the EngD programmes running within the university. It is therefore critical to match the company, the needs of their intended research, the EngD programme as run within the university and importantly the skill set and interest areas of the EngD students. This paper will describe in principal the organisation and implementation of EngD programmes to suit a variety of OEM's and the particular management differences that have to be considered to ensure a successful outcome for the company, the student and the university. The unique aspect of this approach is to facilitate high-level design activity with industrial partners within a high technology research centre located in a University. The University is offering access to state of the art complex manufacturing technology to industrial partners when they engage in design engineering projects through the EngD programme.