Manufacturing Processes and Materials

Course Description

ETM1005C — Manufacturing Processes and Materials is a college-credit, integrated lecture-and-laboratory course in Florida's Engineering Technology Manufacturing A.S. and Career Certificate programs. The "ETM" prefix denotes Engineering Technology Manufacturing/Mechanical. The course covers fundamental manufacturing processes, engineering materials, basic mechanical design principles, and manufacturing process selection — preparing students to support engineers and operate within manufacturing organizations as production technicians, process technicians, or manufacturing engineering technicians.

This course is offered at Florida public colleges with Engineering Technology Manufacturing programs, including Polk State College, Eastern Florida State College, Daytona State College, St. Petersburg College, and other institutions serving Florida's substantial manufacturing industry.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of ETM1005C, students will be able to:

• Identify and describe major manufacturing processes: subtractive (machining, milling, turning, drilling, grinding); additive (3D printing/AM); forming (rolling, forging, extrusion, drawing, sheet metal forming); casting (sand, investment, die casting); joining (welding, brazing, soldering, mechanical fastening, adhesive bonding); finishing (surface treatment, heat treatment).
• Identify and describe engineering materials: ferrous metals (steels, cast iron); non-ferrous metals (aluminum, copper, titanium, nickel alloys); polymers (thermoplastics, thermosets, elastomers); ceramics; composites.
• Apply material property concepts: mechanical (strength, hardness, ductility, toughness); thermal; electrical; corrosion; manufacturability.
• Apply basic mechanical design principles: load and stress analysis; safety factors; material selection.
• Apply process selection criteria: production volume; geometry; tolerance; surface finish; cost; lead time.
• Read and interpret engineering drawings: orthographic projection; dimensions; tolerances; surface finish; basic GD&T.
• Apply manufacturing safety: machine guarding; LOTO; PPE; hazard identification; OSHA 29 CFR 1910.
• Apply basic measurement: dimensional measurement (calipers, micrometers); surface roughness measurement; hardness testing.

Optional Outcomes

• Apply introductory computer-aided design (CAD) using AutoCAD or SolidWorks.
• Apply introductory computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) awareness.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Manufacturing Process Overview: Process classification; primary vs. secondary processes; net-shape vs. near-net-shape; sustainability considerations.
• Subtractive Processes: Machining fundamentals (cutting tool geometry, cutting parameters, tool materials); milling (vertical, horizontal); turning; drilling; grinding; CNC introduction.
• Additive Manufacturing: Process categories (FDM, SLA, SLS, DMLS, etc.); materials; design for AM; current applications and limitations.
• Forming Processes: Rolling (hot and cold); forging (open-die, closed-die); extrusion (direct, indirect, hydrostatic); drawing; sheet metal (bending, stamping, deep drawing).
• Casting: Sand casting; investment casting (lost-wax); die casting; permanent-mold casting; centrifugal casting; defects and inspection.
• Joining: Welding (arc, MIG, TIG, resistance, laser); brazing; soldering; mechanical fastening (threaded, riveted, snap-fit); adhesive bonding.
• Surface Treatment and Heat Treatment: Annealing; quenching and tempering; case hardening (carburizing, nitriding); plating; painting; PVD/CVD coatings.
• Engineering Materials: Ferrous metals (carbon steels, alloy steels, stainless steels, tool steels, cast irons); non-ferrous (aluminum alloys, copper alloys, titanium alloys); polymers; ceramics; composites.
• Material Properties: Tensile testing; yield strength; ultimate tensile strength; ductility; hardness (Rockwell, Brinell, Vickers); toughness; fatigue.
• Mechanical Design Basics: Stress and strain; safety factor; material selection criteria; cost considerations.
• Process Selection: Production volume considerations; geometry constraints; tolerance and surface finish capabilities; cost analysis; lead time.
• Engineering Drawings and Measurement: Orthographic projection; dimensions and tolerances; surface finish symbols; basic GD&T; precision measurement instruments.
• Manufacturing Safety: Machine guarding; LOTO; PPE; hazard identification; ergonomics; OSHA compliance.

Resources & Tools

• Industry texts: Mikell Groover Fundamentals of Modern Manufacturing (Wiley); Serope Kalpakjian Manufacturing Engineering and Technology
• Lab equipment: machining tools; welding equipment; measurement instruments; material testing equipment
• Software: AutoCAD or SolidWorks for drawing reading and basic design
• SkillsUSA CTSO

Career Pathways

ETM1005C is foundational for manufacturing technician careers in Florida:

• Manufacturing Technician at Florida manufacturers across aerospace, defense, medical devices, and consumer goods.
• Process Technician in production operations.
• Manufacturing Engineering Technician supporting manufacturing engineers.
• Quality Technician with continued QA coursework.
• Continuation toward A.S. in Engineering Technology Manufacturing or B.A.S./B.S. in Manufacturing Engineering Technology.

Special Information

Course Format

Typically 3 credits, 60 contact hours integrated lecture and laboratory.

Industry Certifications

Coursework supports foundation for MSSC (Manufacturing Skill Standards Council) Certified Production Technician (CPT) and SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineers) Certified Manufacturing Technologist (CMfgT) credentials with additional preparation.