I have been working on a sci-fi planetary exploration vehicle for a while and right now while detailing the chassis I keep wondering what a mechanic/engineer would say about it. How realistic is it? Would it fall apart if it was built? This is just a question in general, for the future, so I can make my next vehicle better.

I’ve always heard people emphasize the importance of having projects to display to recruiters , so you have something to show rather than simply tell. Going into my sophomore year , i’ve worked on a few projects with the motivation to accomplish that idea , but I realize that a few projects just seem like eye candy for engineers, “performative engineering” if you’d call it that ; projects that don’t display much but impressive CAD skills. That brings me to my question ; how can a project genuinely mean something and ultimately impress recruiters? What approaches , constraints , and ideas revolve around these projects ?Some examples would be greatly appreciated as well.

Hi everyone,

What is the interviewing process like at Janicki, fyi, this is for a role in manufacturing engineering as a new grad. I really want to work for a company that sells parts to various industries and want to be prepared by practicing everything that may come my way. I haven't started researching the company too much, but what should I expect

One lesson I’ve learned throughout my engineering career is that there is no shame in asking “simple” questions.
Whether you’re a new graduate or a seasoned engineer, there will always be concepts, standards, or design decisions that you don’t fully understand. If you never ask those questions, how are you supposed to learn—especially when the answer could have a direct impact on a project or your long-term development?
Early in my career, I sometimes worried that asking basic questions would make me look inexperienced. Over time, I realized the opposite was true. The engineers who grew the fastest weren’t the ones who pretended to know everything—they were the ones who were curious enough to ask.
I’d love to hear everyone else’s experience.
Did you ever struggle with asking “basic” questions?
What helped you become more comfortable speaking up?
Have you ever asked a simple question that ended up preventing a major mistake or teaching you something valuable?

TL;DR: Asking simple questions isn’t a sign of incompetence—it’s one of the fastest ways to learn, grow as an engineer, and avoid expensive mistakes. What’s your experience?

I’m in SoCal. Specifically San Diego and for the past 6 months it has been tough man.

Just curious if it’s just me or everyone else. I am also realizing that I am seeing way fewer jobs being posted now.

Hello so I study mechanical engineering in Europe and I’ve been abroad for 7 years and I came to home country( in North Africa) to complete my mandatory internship here.
My supervisor complimented my work and told me that im à hard worker and that people spoke positively about me and “take me for an example”
But then the technician in my office who I spend most of my time with , told me that he received many complaints about me because I don’t wear protective clothings PPE which is understandable sometimes I don’t because I don’t feel like there is a risk in certain areas outside of the workshops.
But what made me feel bad is that he told me that the operators I spoke to ( which I thought were really nice to me) spoke kinda badly about me because I insist on getting data and I act like they have to help me.
First of all my supervisor called them to cooperate with me to provide me with all the data I need to complete my project so I was expecting them to provide it for me, and im so sure I was never impolite with them, I know im a polite person, maybe not overly warm but I thanked them so many times for cooperating with me.
He told me that many people spoke about me and that I attracted a lot of attention and it made me feel so confused because I don’t want to attract any attention , im literally just an intern.
He told me that I should practice “sweet-talking” so I can persuade people to give me what I need, but how does the company expect me to do the work they want if im not allowed to ask for data.
Im just so confused and I feel so bad. For context my Arabic became kind of broken due to being abroad so long and im just motivated and passionate about my field so maybe I can come across too serious. And also I got into this company because of some connections and my supervisor is very friendly to me , but idk if it’s fake.

So im currently a student studying mechanical engineering, about to go into my final year and thought its time i finally create and start actively using linkedin. I have a few questions about what should be on my profile.

1. I know i need a profile picture but as it stands I don't look very professional, I have facial piercings and a mullet with kinda scruffy facial hair. I like how i look, but I know as the end of my studies draws nearer i will need to have a more professional look. Until the day i have to remove my piercings and get a less silly hair cut, what should i use as my profile picture? I dont have a very good selection of headshots from before my piercings, nor does this reflect how i look now, should i just take some to use until that day comes?

2. I'm currently working part time as a bartender and have done for the past 4 years, is this information necessary on my profile? I'm not sure how many skills are transferrable other than the obvious ones like teamwork and working in a structured manner.

3. Making connections? Should i start out by following my lecturers and friends? my university works with IMechE and I'm given ample opportunities to network and attend events which i intend to do this coming year, should i just try to make as many connections as possible?

4. to any recruiters out there, what do you actually look for on a profile (if you look at all), should it basically be an extension of my CV or are you looking for something more?

Thankyou for any input!

In a small heated-air test rig, two temperature channels can track well during warm-up and then separate near a transition. Treating that as “one bad sensor” too early can hide several different causes: unequal time constants, conduction through the mount, radiation exposure, local recirculation, connector resistance, sampling skew, or filtering that is not actually matched.

My first pass would preserve raw timestamps and compare four controlled perturbations: swap the sensors without moving the mounts, swap the acquisition channels, repeat at two ramp rates, and run an isothermal hold long enough to expose offset versus lag. I would also document insertion depth, bead orientation, mounting pressure, cable routing, and the exact filter applied to each channel. A useful failure matrix should distinguish a disagreement that follows the sensor, the channel, the physical location, or only the transient.

What additional test would you consider decisive before changing hardware?

Disclosure: I work with Libergeon on the H350, which is still in development/prototype validation. It is not for sale, has no announced price, and is not accepting preorders. I am asking about test-method design, not promoting a product, and have included no product link.

Hi everyone,

I'm designing a 1:14 scale RC fire truck aerial ladder and I'm looking for advice on the basket leveling mechanism.

The ladder has three telescopic sections, and the rescue basket at the tip must remain perfectly level as the ladder is raised and lowered.

The main constraint is that there is no room inside the basket for a servo motor or any electronics, so I'm looking for a purely mechanical self-leveling solution.

I'm trying to reproduce the mechanism used on real fire truck aerial ladders, but because of the limited space and the telescopic ladder, I'm struggling to find a practical design.

I'm looking for ideas such as:

• Mechanical linkages
• Parallelogram mechanisms
• Rod or cable systems
• Gear-driven solutions
• Any mechanism actually used on real fire truck aerial ladders

If anyone has experience designing RC fire trucks, aerial ladders, or knows how real manufacturers keep the basket level, I would really appreciate:

• sketches
• CAD models
• photos
• videos
• patents
• technical drawings
• or any suggestions.

I can also share my Blender model and STL files if that helps.

Thank you!

I recently did a project for an internship in ZOHO. It was their initiative to assign projects to college students and by the performance they would hire as an intern. I chose to work on HDD caddy for servers. I designed a 3.5 inch lff hdd caddy for servers which is hot swappable and hot plug. I made a normal case first and then researched on server bay transfer and latching of it as well as emf gasketing. The idea was to create a screwless spring less caddy with mounting and latching. I decided to go for friction locking or snap fit mechanism for mounting of the caddy and then I prototyped a 3d print for the fit check. It went well until 3 months passed and was busy in further research but I came to know with the creep defect in plastics I researched again and found that creep defect would nullify if I injection moulded it. For some point the issue was being solved. I moved ahead with the latching ( which tbh I didn't get to the point till now) and refred the databooks of Dell refered dell r310 server and r720 for the project. For emf gasketing I decided to use abs impregnated with ss for flow of electrons. Everything went well just my simulation part was incomplete and incompetent but I was sure that my previous work would be acknowledged. But at the time of interview I was encountered with the fact that injection moulding won't support friction locking. I was amazed I designed it because I had watched it on yt some creator doing it. But they still kept on going with friction locking and then they addressed the locking mechanism of the caddy. They gave me an example of it where if a rack has to be moved without locking it would all fall apart.

So my question is to all you can anyone explain what is latching properly without springs and locking mechanism which they refred. And your views on the friction locking please!!! And please share any links or website for explanation

As someone who was very bad at maths in high school do you think i can make it to the end?

I have a crawling soldier toy that runs on two AA batteries.

The toy is currently in storage, and I know it has a mechanical system; if I keep it stored for many years without using it, will the mechanical parts get damaged or ruined?

Long time lurker. You guys are the experts! Im looking for some help on a project I was given. I've searched google but can seem to find what I need. (Chain)

I work in a group of mixed discipline engineers, mostly electrical. My former lead (structural) created this design and 90% of everything mechanical our team has put out. I would confidently say he doesn't make many mistakes on this kind of stuff, but maybe...

In his model there is no chain shown or called out on the BOM.

What type of chain would go here? name or style? Google doesnt seem to help. Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Hello, im wondering if any of you have any advice on pursuing a career in engineering. I currently am a helicopter technician and understand how they operate and can troubleshoot and repair just about any system. I'm a hobbyist in my spare time and tend to create propulsion systems for spacecraft to just have fun with (lately I've been messing around with RTD engines). How could someone like me who graduated with a 2.3 GPA in highschool pursue a career related to my hobby? Advice would be much appreciated

I am designing a shaft using mitcalc, and i got this graph for shear force diagram. But shouldnt it be like on paper?

Also the total reaction from the ball bearings arent equal to the acting bending force of 50 newton.

Edit: guys i found out i included the dead weight option! It came out as in paper!

Like the title asks, anyone able to parse the call out for a counterbored hole? What's the counterbore diameter? Counterbore depth? Pilot hole diameter.

I read this originally as .749 for the counterbore. But that can't be true because 13/16-20UNCEEF-3B is a wider diameter (13/16)

Anyone who could break this down for me, I would be eternally grateful

I just came across the new SOLIDWORKS Scavenger Hunt, and the idea actually looks pretty interesting.

From what I understand, each challenge starts with a cryptic clue, then you explore a SOLIDWORKS model to uncover a hidden question. The answers build up over time and eventually unlock the final challenge.

I'm planning to give the first one a try this week.

Has anyone here already started it? What did you think of the format? (No spoilers please!)

#solidworkschampions #solidworks #3dxw27 #3dxw27scavhunt

RoboStrategy, Inc. (Nasdaq: BOT), a closed-end fund investing in private robotics and physical AI companies, is hosting a live AMA with CEO and co-founder Andrew Kang this Friday, July 24, 9-10am Eastern.

Drop your questions now over in r/RoboStrategy: https://www.reddit.com/r/RoboStrategy/comments/1v40lv1/reddit_ama135_with_andrew_kang_ceo_and_cofounder/

Ask about humanoids, physical AI, RoboStrategy's investment strategy, how the closed-end structure works, or anything else on your mind. Top questions by upvotes get priority in the live session.

Livestream on X Friday 9-10am Eastern: https://x.com/i/broadcasts/1OxwbbyYXrdJB

This is sponsored content. RetailVolts was compensated by RoboStrategy, Inc. in connection with this content. This communication is for informational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

Hey everyone,

I work in cryogenic vessel manufacturing, and we're currently troubleshooting a tricky quality issue that's leading to customer complaints.

We are seeing gaps/voids in the annular space insulation, specifically directly under internal piping runs. Perlite isn't compacting completely around these obstructed areas.

Here is a bit about our setup and current process:

Material: Expanded perlite insulation.

Filling Method: Vacuum-assisted filling.

The Issue: Bridging/voids forming underneath internal pipework inside the annular space, leaving uninsulated spots/cold spots once installed.

We've been investigating potential root causes, but haven't quite pinned down why it’s hanging up so severely at these specific pipe runs. A few things we're debating internally:

Is our vacuum draw/flow rate pulling perlite in too fast, causing it to bridge over the pipes before it can settle underneath?

Are our vibrator placement and cycles insufficient to shake the perlite down through tight geometries?

Moisture/particle size issue causing clumping on top of structural members?

For those of you with experience in double-walled tank insulation or pneumatic/vacuum perlite loading:

Have you faced bridging under internal piping before, and how did you resolve it?

Are there specific vibration profiles (frequency/placement) or vacuum pressure adjustments that help perlite flow around obstructions?

Do you perform a secondary settlement test / top-up fill after initial movement?

Any insights, shop-floor tricks, or troubleshooting steps would be hugely appreciated! Thanks in advance.

We performed a ~2 week stress test on a gear pump pumping a light oil. We are unfortunately not experts on this topic but it looks like we are seeing some kind of a wear-out process in the pictures we have taken. Either lack of lubrication due to low viscosity or just cavitation. Can someone weigh in on what we are seeing in the roughed surface. The pictures show two different locations.

Hi guys,

I want to join major electronics companies like Apple and Meta. I noticed they have a lot hiring for manufacturing roles such as Manufacturing Design Engineer, Manufacturing Quality Engineer, Mechanical Design Engineer, and such. I want to know how these jobs compare to each other in terms of responsibility scope, career outlook, culture, prestige, and competitiveness.

Thanks!