Modern technology requires tiny, precisely manufactured parts.
If you want to know how those parts are made, you can thank students in Dr. Ashis Banerjee’s Introduction to Manufacturing Processes class (first section; second section) at the University of Washington for the work they did across articles related to manufacturing processes.
Take a look at the new article about mesoscale manufacturing, which deals with manufacturing parts in the 0.1 to 5 mm range (essentially no larger than a penny). Want to learn about how smaller parts are made? Take a look at an article those students created about 3D microfabrication. Thinking smaller still? How about the article the class created on nano manufacturing and the directed assembly of micro- and nano-structures.
It’s not all about tiny machines, though. Want to know how your toothbrush is manufactured? Take a look at their Multi-material injection molding article. Among the many other articles created or expanded substantially by the class are economics of plastics processing, microcellular plastic, digital manufacturing, and grinding wheel wear.
These students did great work that helps readers understand aspects of a very modern manufacturing economy. It’s a good example of the kind of knowledge that might otherwise have not been very detailed on Wikipedia.
Congratulations to these students on their excellent work!
Photo: Coded wire tags size 1 millimeter by USFWS Pacific Region, CC BY 2.0 via Flickr.
