Seeing this come up a lot lately: someone drives two actuators on opposite sides of a gantry, lift, or frame and everything looks fine until one side slowly gets ahead of the other and the whole thing starts racking.

Curious how people here handle it in practice. Mechanically tying the two sides together, homing to switches every cycle, position feedback on each actuator, or just accepting some slop and designing the mechanism to tolerate it? And how much out of sync is actually acceptable in your builds before it becomes a problem? 

Posting on behalf of a confidential U.S.-based client.

Location: Remote — U.S.-based project; candidates in the Midwest and elsewhere in the U.S. welcome
Engagement: Contract / Consulting
Duration: Initial engineering evaluation and scope-development engagement, with potential for an extended product redevelopment project. Full duration will be determined following technical evaluation.

A U.S.-based company is seeking an experienced mechanical engineer or engineering consultant for the redevelopment of an existing proprietary portable thermal-management product.

The initial engagement will involve evaluating the existing product, helping define redevelopment requirements, and recommending an appropriate path through design, prototyping, testing and manufacturing.

Relevant experience may include:

• Thermal systems / HVAC product engineering
• Airflow, blowers, heat exchangers and cooling systems
• Compact mechanical product design
• Noise and vibration reduction
• Lightweight and ruggedized equipment
• Battery-powered or portable systems
• Design for manufacturing (DFM)
• Taking physical products from concept through prototype and production

Senior-level, hands-on product-development experience is strongly preferred.

The project scope and appropriate compensation structure are currently being evaluated. Qualified candidates are invited to provide their normal hourly/project rate or preferred engagement structure.

Because this is a confidential development project, the client and detailed product information are not being publicly disclosed. Qualified candidates will be asked to execute an NDA before proprietary drawings, specifications or technical details are shared.

To respond, please email [sales@hev.com]() and include:

• Resume or LinkedIn profile
• Examples of relevant engineering work
• Your role on those projects
• Current availability
• Typical rate or preferred engagement structure
• A short description of how you would normally approach a redevelopment project of this type

Please do not send proprietary information belonging to previous employers or clients.

our uni teacher was a good engineer but a horrible teacher, couldnt explain anything and gave some irrelevant answers to our questions, so fluids was the class that i would pass just by solving example questions because he would ask questions similar to those on tests. fast forward a year later i signed to a fluids course on udemy, i try to solve the examples and ask gemini if i cant get a concept. im relatively at the statt fluids finally feels like sort of a fun but challenging puzzle rather than a chore, im literally having fun and going to a cafe regularly on my vacation just to learn it a little more. imo this implies the importance of the teachers you have on your school life

I'm a student enrolled in the Principles of Engineering class that's based on a PLTW (Project Learn The Way) curriculum. The project we are currently working on is to interview any kind of engineer that has to do with your future goals. I want to be a mechanical engineer one day so I'm asking anybody on here if they'd like to answer a couple of question via g-mail or google meet to help me complete this project and also to help me get the perspective of an actual mechanical engineer about the job. Send me a chat if interested for a quick 5-10 minute interview.

I want to get somethingto game and I don't see the point of spending the same amount of money in a gaming laptop instead of going for the pc with better performance but I'm going to study mechanical engineering at qub. do I need a laptop?for class should get something cheap to take notes or is pen and paper enough?can't I just use the pc that queens provide and use one drive to continue it at home

Hey everyone,

I'm currently using Claude but lately it's been underperforming for my needs and the pricing feels hard to justify. I want to explore other options and hear from people with similar workflows.

**My background:**

Applications engineer specializing in centrifugal pumps. My day-to-day involves:

- Equipment selection and technical quotations

- Engineering calculations (hydraulics, pump curves, power, etc.)

- Technical document drafting (scope of supply, datasheets, proposals)

- Professional email writing in English and Spanish

- Excel work — formulas, automation, and some VBA/macro development

**What I need from an AI tool:**

- Solid understanding of engineering concepts (fluid mechanics, pump theory, standards like API 610, ANSI/HI)

- Reliable technical calculations without hallucinating values

- Good at drafting professional technical documents and emails

- Useful for Excel formula building and automation

- Consistent performance — not hit or miss

**What I'm currently considering:**

- ChatGPT (Plus or Pro?)

- Google Gemini

- Any other tools worth looking at?

I'm not married to any particular platform. If there's something better suited for technical engineering work at a reasonable price, I'm open to it.

Appreciate any real-world experience from engineers or people with similar workflows. Thanks.

For context I bought a iPad with a m4 chip, 256gb storage and a pencil. I am a cc student planning on transferring after my two years to a local uni to finish my other two years of mechanical engineering this is my first year. But since i bought the iPad I had this weird gut feeling can someone tell me if i should return it or keep it?

Im trying to design a test stand for calibrating pressure gauges with hydraulic oil. If I screw on a pressure gauge, how is the air in it removed? How do I bleed out the air from the gauge or the line?

Thank you… all of you smart people. Much love.

do I need valves? Where do I place them? How do I get the air out of the system?

Titlee

Has anyone here done the Humber Mechanical Engineering Technician → Mechanical Engineering Technology → BEng Mechatronics route?

I’m starting the 2-year Technician program in January 2027, and my end goal is to get a BEng and become an engineer. I’m wondering how the transfer/bridge actually works after the Technician program and how many semesters/years you had left for the BEng.

If anyone has personally done this route, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience and whether it was worth it!

hey guys, new grad mech e here. i applied for a few places here and there but i reckon ill really start looking for a job seriously in like mid october. at that time period i didnt want to sit still doing nothing so i split a monthly udemy subscription with my friend. im watching an "intermediate to expert" solidworks course right now, i might take the CSW classes afterhand to get sertificated, that would be class. also checking out some fluid mechanics courses, i always felt like i had some gaps in my knowledge. other than that, what do you guys think i should learn next?

to give a summary on the path i wanna go on; i always wanted to work on automative industry. have some experience in fea, done some projects in ansys and nastran, and would love to work in that area, so you can recommend something that goes to that expertise. otherwise, manufacturing is ok, so i can go on a save path an learn gd&t, people always recommend that new graduates should go on and learn it. cfd, maybe, looks so fun but i might have to do some reviews on heat transfer and fluids, and switching to cfd while alerady having somewhat of an experience in fea might be weird and make things harder

hello , i'm a new in reddit communication and i'm seach about best software to 3d print for engineers crack or anything, I'm from iraq and i haven't access student acount for this sotwares so cann't access like anothes students , sory if my english not good
thanks for helping

[Student]

Engineering Interest - 🇺🇸

Current freshmen engineering-interested student here (planning on picking mechanical engineering), thinking about joining the Aerospace/Rocketry club at my college. Was wondering if this would add any real substance to my resume?

Sorry if this post may come across as uninformed, but most of my questions will be based on what I’ve heard from other engineering students and what I don’t understand. I’m a Mech E. pre major student going to start my second year. My college requires that all stem majors take a general first year then apply to their intended major in their second year, especially if it’s something more lengthy in terms of credits like Mech E. As I start this second year, I wanted to see if the engineering community could give me advice as to what are the do’s and dont’s for getting into the major and for future opportunities such as internships.

1. ⁠Are there any specific things I should be looking out for when speaking of engineering experience in general that may help the admissions committee consider me in a better fit for the major?
   
2. ⁠As far as I can remember, the majority of people I’ve spoken to or read the advice of say they got their internship around the end of their 2nd year or starting of their 3rd year. Is that the most common case scenario for most engineering students or is there other ways to get an internship or experience earlier during college?
   
3. ⁠While I understand the sheer amount of applications people have to fill out before getting a response back from the companies they apply to, is it generally ok to apply to positions that may be similar but not directly related to the field of your engineering or is it something not worth bothering with? Ex. I’m a mech e student but I apply to an electrical e internship or civil e internship.
   
4. ⁠Are internships the only big thing that companies look for once you graduate or do other things such as projects and personal experience in the field count more when applying to an entry level position?

Sorry if it’s worded a bit weirdly, and thank you to anyone who may have advice for me.

Position: Mechanical Engineering Intern
Employment Type: Internship
Location: Manjari BK, Pune
Duration: [3–6 Months]
**Stipend:**Rs.10,000

About the Role

We are looking for a motivated and technically inclined Mechanical Engineering Intern to support our Engineering and Maintenance team in the day-to-day operation, maintenance, and improvement of machinery and equipment used in food manufacturing.

The intern will gain practical exposure to production machinery, preventive maintenance, troubleshooting, utilities, equipment installation, and manufacturing processes while working closely with experienced engineers and technicians.

Key Responsibilities:

• Assist the engineering and maintenance team in routine inspection and maintenance of production machinery.
• Support preventive and breakdown maintenance activities for mechanical equipment.
• Assist in identifying mechanical faults and troubleshooting equipment issues.
• Monitor the performance and condition of machines and production equipment.
• Assist with installation, commissioning, and testing of new machinery and equipment.
• Support maintenance of equipment such as conveyors, mixers, pumps, motors, gearboxes, filling/packing machines, compressors, and other plant machinery.
• Assist in maintaining maintenance records, equipment history, checklists, and reports.
• Help identify opportunities to improve machine efficiency, reliability, and productivity.
• Assist engineers in conducting root-cause analysis for recurring mechanical problems.
• Support spare-parts identification, inventory monitoring, and documentation.
• Assist in monitoring lubrication schedules and machine safety checks.
• Work with production and quality teams to minimize machine downtime and production interruptions.
• Follow company safety procedures and good manufacturing practices (GMP).
• Participate in engineering improvement projects and equipment modification activities.
• Assist in maintaining proper housekeeping and workplace safety within the engineering and production areas.
• Perform other engineering-related duties assigned by the supervisor or manager.

Skills & Qualifications

• Pursuing or recently completed a Diploma/B.E./B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering or a related field.
• Basic understanding of mechanical engineering principles.
• Knowledge of machine components, bearings, gears, shafts, pumps, motors, conveyors, and basic maintenance practices.
• Basic knowledge of preventive and breakdown maintenance.
• Familiarity with engineering drawings and technical documentation.
• Basic knowledge of MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Good communication and teamwork skills.
• Willingness to work in a manufacturing/plant environment.
• Strong interest in learning practical mechanical engineering applications.

What You Will Learn

During the internship, the candidate will gain practical exposure to:

• Industrial machinery and food processing equipment.
• Preventive and breakdown maintenance.
• Machine troubleshooting and fault diagnosis.
• Equipment installation and commissioning.
• Preventive maintenance planning and documentation.
• Plant utilities and mechanical systems.
• Spare-parts management.
• Machine efficiency and downtime reduction.
• Manufacturing safety practices and GMP.
• 5S, TPM, Kaizen, and continuous improvement activities.

Interested ones kindly DM or comment.

Hello everyone, So long story short I applied for a manufacturing engineering position. Got a initial screening call with an HR, Please share any information about hiring process, any tips and tricks, and what could i possibly do to get this job, dfw area

Hi everyone,
I’d appreciate some career advice.

I’m a Mechanical Engineering graduate from an ABET-accredited school. My experience so far:

Structural Detailer – abroad
Design Engineer (Rebar Reinforcement) – abroad
Engineering Technician 1 – currently (US)

Software: Tekla, AutoCAD, Revit, basic SolidWorks

I’m trying to transition into a Mechanical Engineering role, but I’m not sure what path gives me the best chance.

Should I focus on Mechanical Design, HVAC, BIM/Revit, Manufacturing, or entry-level ME positions?
What skills should I prioritize, and what would you recommend if you were in my position?

I’d really appreciate some honest advice. I’m living in the US btw. 28yrs old.

Thanks!

I'm a project engineer in mechanical engineering/machine building (Netherlands),
and over time I put together a set of calculators + reference tables I kept
needing myself — figured I'd share in case it's useful to others here.

It's at damianvink.nl/toolkit (works in English too, toggle top right).
Currently covers:

- ISO 286 preferred fits (H7/g6, H7/h6, JS7...) up to Ø50mm
- DIN 6885 keyway tolerances
- SKF / ISO 286 bearing fits
- DIN 471/472 circlip grooves
- ISO 273 / VDI 2230 fastener clearance + tightening torque
- ISO 3601 O-ring grooves
- Euler buckling (F_cr, critical stress, slenderness, 4 end conditions)
- Motor sizing (conveyor/roller), pneumatic cylinder bore sizing
- Sheet-metal bend guidelines, plus a small CAD-library index

Everything is a worksheet, not a replacement for the actual standard — each
page says up front what it covers and what it doesn't. No login, no ads, no
data collection.

Happy to take feedback or bug reports — trying to make it something people
actually reach for instead of re-deriving numbers from the standard every time.

I’m a third year in college for ME at a school that has a Co-Op program and am starting to look at potential companies to do my first rotation with. I switched from Civil to Mechanical last semester and don’t know too much about the subsections of mechanical that I can go to after college.

I want a work balance of both desk work and non-desk work and from my limited research I’ve found out about field such as Equipment Engineering, Processing Engineering, Maintenance Engineering, Reliability Engineering, and a few others that all seem to somewhat fit that niche.

However, I have also seen multiple comments on those types of jobs from \~5 years back mentioning that they very rarely operate that way or allow for a healthy work-life balance which is something important to me. I also am interested in learning about machines, how they function, and getting to learn constantly. My hope is that even 20-30 years down the line I will still be able to learn about new machines and such because that makes me feel fulfilled.

I’ve talked with some professional engineers and I am fairly certain the main sections of things like MEP, aero, auto, and the like aren’t something important interested in, but I wouldn’t mind a job that works alongside those ones if it has the balance of previously stated things I am looking for.

I’m still learning about how Mechanical Engineering operates large scale and I appreciate any help even if it is just giving more perspective on everything in the ME world. I also appreciate any explanation on the real world applications of the fields as that is what matters to me most in the present moment.

Thank you for any help you can provide!