The Lockheed SR-71, which was designed by aeronautical engineers.
Mechanical engineering technology is used to design, test, and operate the mechanical processes that make both machines and products. Mechanical engineers manipulate objects using natural forces that operate in predictable ways according to physical laws. They handle all kinds of movement. The types of mechanical engineering technology used depend on the type of natural forces being manipulated.
Mechanical engineers develop the processes and products that bring technological improvements to society.
Hydraulic, thermodynamic, electromagnetic, frictional, gravitational, and aerodynamic forces are some examples of the effects of natural laws operating in our universe. An engineer can use one or more of these forces to solve a mechanical challenge. Mechanical engineers develop the processes and products that bring technological improvements to society. Both solve problems and create new devices and technologies.
The technology can help a mechanical engineer calibrate equipment in a factory.
For example, a hydraulic engineer might design a machine that harnesses the power of hydraulic engineering technology to drive turbines to produce electricity. He or she can also devise ways to measure and control water flow rates to create a mechanical process. Hydraulic force could be used to cut an object using a water jet, for example, without producing heat that would deform the object during the cutting process. Thermodynamic engineers use mechanical engineering technology that harnesses the power of thermodynamics to convert heat to energy and vice versa. One of the results of thermodynamic engineering was the development of the steam engine.
Continuing education is important for mechanical engineers as new technologies are regularly developed.
Aerospace engineers analyze aerodynamic forces when designing objects and machines that can increase or decrease friction in machine operations. Through the design process, the engineer gains an understanding of the effect of these forces. He or she uses this understanding to predict and control the operation of airflow on objects when force is applied to an object. An arrow shot from a bow is an example of a mechanical engineering solution to the aerodynamic forces acting on the design of the arrow.
Aerodynamic engineering is also widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries to reduce friction and thus use less energy to propel an object. Nanotechnology is a new area for mechanical engineering technology. A nano engineer employs physical laws at the molecular level, building tiny machines at the nano scale. Nanoparticles are measured in billionths of a meter.
Many colleges and universities offer mechanical engineering study programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Continuing education is also important for mechanical engineers as new technologies continue to be developed, with new materials being manufactured to solve mechanical engineering challenges, such as increasing fuel efficiency in the transportation sector. Composite materials like carbon fiber reinforced plastic have tensile strength but are lighter than metals. The use of these materials in transport reduces fuel consumption. Mechanical engineering technology helps engineers more efficiently design industrial processes used around the world.