Digital Manufacturing & Design

This course will expose you to the transformation taking place, throughout the world, in the way that products are being designed and manufactured. The transformation is happening through digital manufacturing and design (DM&D) – a shift from paper-based processes to digital processes in the manufacturing industry. By the end of this course, you’ll understand what DMD is and how it is impacting careers, practices and processes in companies both large and small. You will gain an understanding of and appreciation for the role that technology is playing in this transition. The technology we use every day – whether it is communicating with friends and family, purchasing products or streaming entertainment – can benefit design and manufacturing, making companies and workers more competitive, agile and productive. Discover how this new approach to making products makes companies more responsive, and employees more involved and engaged, as new career paths in advanced manufacturing evolve. Main concepts of this course will be delivered through lectures, readings, discussions and various videos. This is the first course in the Digital Manufacturing & Design Technology specialization that explores the many facets of manufacturing’s “Fourth Revolution,” aka Industry 4.0, and features a culminating project involving creation of a roadmap to achieve a self-established DMD-related professional goal. To learn more about the Digital Manufacturing and Design Technology specialization, please watch the overview video by copying and pasting the following link into your web browser: https://youtu.be/wETK1O9c-CA

• The Big Picture
• The purpose of this module is to introduce learners to the factors and trends motivating the transition from the current state of manufacturing to a DMD model. Details of individual lessons in this module are provided below.
• Components of the Paradigm
• The purpose of this module is to introduce learners to the multiple components that integrate to create a future manufacturing enterprise (i.e., a digital link between design and production, leveraging data analytics to identify opportunities for increased quality and efficiency, interconnected and transparent machines, production facilities, and supply chains). Details of individual lessons in this module are provided below.