What is Automotive Engineering Technology? Automotive engineering technology is a branch of mechanical engineering that prepares students with the skills, knowledge and understanding to construct, repair and modify systems and machines related to automobiles. Individuals will work to implement new technologies, utilize more efficient designs, and ensure that the vehicle being designed is free of any defects. Individuals must be able to draw up diagrams, should have a strong background in math and physics and should be able to follow schematics as part of the engineering process. Educational Requirements Individuals enrolled in a program for automotive engineering technology will learn about the various sciences involved in the development of such systems. Programs in automotive engineering technology are limited in availability and as a result most individuals interested in pursuing the field often choose mechanical engineering programs that offer a similar education in the sciences. Students may then add additional courses to one's curriculum relevant to the area of automobiles in order to gear their education toward automotive engineering. Regardless of the type of program, science and mathematics will play a quintessential role in one's ability to properly perform the tasks required. A curriculum in automotive engineering technology may include: Calculus Automotive Technology and Systems Fluid Power Industrial Safety Composite Materials Employment Opportunities and Job Growth Individuals working in automotive engineering technology will find themselves working on all parts of development of vehicles. Individuals will develop engines, electrical systems, chassis and more. Engineers who enter the industry will work under experienced professionals, typically assigned to specific areas in order to obtain practical experience in the various aspects of production and design. Additionally, such engineers will be responsible for the testing and implementation of designs and develop procedures to maintain finished products. Careers in automotive engineering technology are limited and the market for jobs is expected to shrink. This is due to the increased production due to automation and technical testing and design through advancements in computer technology. As a result, jobs are competitive, though qualified and talented individuals are in continued demand. Students who pursue mechanical engineering rather than automotive engineering technology may have more career options outside of the automotive industry. Salary and Related Fields The average salary for an automotive engineer is approximately $90, 000 per year. Salary increases with experience and education. Individuals with managerial experience may become team leaders or division heads, increasing earning potential greatly within a corporate environment.

From the official Press Release: Aston Martin’s new design studio, located in a building adjacent to Aston Martin’s manufacturing and engineering centre at Gaydon in Warwickshire, integrates the process into the heart of the company. “Aston Martin is about design and it is about beauty, ” says Aston Martin’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ulrich Bez, “yet until now it has never had its own design studio.” The elegant modern pavilion, designed by the Weedon Partnership in collaboration with Austrian pre-fabrication specialists Holzbau Saurer, has been built using the latest construction technology and is a showcase for environmentally sustainable design. The architecture is modern and uncompromising, making extensive use of structural wood and large expanses of glass. The modular wooden structure has been sourced from managed forests in Austria and Switzerland. The studio has taken just six months to build and only 12 months to complete from its design conception to realisation. Environmental technologies will ultimately include a ‘green’ sedum roof, helping the building integrate into the surrounding landscape as well as providing a high level of insulation. A closed loop vertical ground water system provides heating and cooling, a process that uses only one third of the energy of that used in conventional systems. All floors have underfloor heating and cooling using a low energy ‘Gravivent’ system. The main wooden structure is insulated to a high specification using natural hemp insulation. Marek Reichman , Aston Martin’s RCA-trained Director of Design since 2005 oversees a team including clay modellers, computer modellers, interiors specialists and craftspeople. Reichman describes the new building as “high-tech but human, ” adding that the materials give the interior warmth. “Wood shifts and moves with time and gains a patina..” The fine interior detailing has also been personally overseen by Reichman and his team. “You’ve got the smells, colours and sensations of Aston Martin around you, ” he explains, pointing out the high quality woods, art work, stainless steel, travertine marble and designer work spaces. Everything contributes to an immersive sensory environment, mirroring the experience of the cars themselves. The public foyer has been designed to be used as both a gallery and a VIP area for launches and private viewings, complete with a Bang and Olufsen projection and speaker system. The past decade has seen Aston Martin’s engineering division grow from 30 people to 300. The Design Studio will provide a similar boost to the integration of the design process into the company. “In the past, the most wonderful cars came from Italian design houses, ” explains Dr Bez, “bodies were even made in Italy.” To bring these skills in house, with their own dedicated facility, places Aston Martin in a position of considerable strength. “Finally, we own design, ” says Dr Bez, explaining that “in order to build something that is beautifully designed, the key is to have the intelligence to do these things and not just have craft skills. You have to have them both. If we don’t design it properly then we cannot build it.” The design department ensures Aston Martin’s celebrated craft skills have a place in an ultra-modern car. “Even though we have incredible craftsmanship skills, without design intelligence we cannot use those skills to their best advantage, ” says Bez. The 2700 square meters studio provides space for the design team, colour development work and a specialist trimmer. One side of the new building is faced entirely in glass, braced with glass beams, to help maximise the feeling of transparency, flooding the studio floor with natural light. Flush light fittings provide hidden ambient light, supplemented and enhanced by the customised and highly adjustable lighting rigs used to develop the clay surfaces. “A studio has to have the ability to allow you to view the cars from all angles, ” Reichman says, “so the building design takes this into account.” There are also five full-size ‘plates’ on the studio floor for the creation of full-scale models, along with a viewing garden, screened from the rest of the facility by a hand laid stone wall.

Not sure it exists. I mean, sure, lots of 3D software exists that allows you to create 'class A', 'Degree 5+', 'curvature-continuous' nurbs surfaces. Some parametric, some not. Some $20k+, some < $1k. Some painful to use, and some a delight. I'm sure you can gather this much from a simple google search. What comes to my mind though, is that these are all tools that allow a person to create things that are good, or things that kinda suck - like cars! I'm always amazed at the mypic perspective of folks (usually younger males) that can't get their minds off cars, and they'll spend their days sketching them, modelling them in 3D, etc. I think it's high time that these folks pull their heads out of their butts and recognize that car design isn't serving anyone other than their own childish egos. Really, I mean, yeah, I 'get' the notion of "mobile sculpture" - but that's kinda like calling the barrel of a tommy gun "elegant in it's simplicity". My recommendation - don't use something that costs you so much that you then have to compromise your ethics (via toxic projects) to pay for. As has already been mentioned, there are open-source packages for both 2D and 3D. The windows version of Xara is good, fair, and doesn't force you to compromise your ideals (should you have them). And it's a total pleasure to use when compared with illustrator. Inkscape is a great open-source vector program that I have very limited experience with. - 3D? I would recommend that you steer clear of software that is so closed that you need to pay ~ $2k/yr just to talk to the community who uses it. To get service releases, support - it's a trap, a nasty little trap that they placate you with the belief that it's the only software that can create such geometry/topology - absolute horse manure. As a student, you have lots of options - but again, look out for the traps - subscriptions/once you become pro, the price becomes 'ethics compromising', etc. - If you're looking to do sculptural forms (i.e. cars if we were still in the 20th century), I'd say check out things like Alias (trap?), Rhino (good humans), Moi (good human), or anything that you can work with subD surfaces and get them into manufacturable data (i.e. modo, silo, etc.)

Top universities, major laboratories continue to partner with Local Motors to develop new technologies for 3D-printed cars Local Motors today announces the winner of its Project Redacted challenge, a design competition which will serve as the inspiration for the world’s first fleet of 3D-printed cars. The winning design of Project Redacted is Reload Redacted - Swim/Sport by Kevin Lo. In addition to its revolutionary design, the entry showcases many benefits of Direct Digital Manufacturing (DDM), including the ability to create a completely customizable vehicle. What’s more, its design boasts a flexible foundation that can support many different styles and technology options. Local Motors is the first company to utilize DDM in vehicle production, with the goal of decreasing the amount of tooling while increasing speed to market for highway-ready vehicles. Local Motors proved the ability to build vehicles with DDM when it debuted the world’s first 3D-printed car, the Strati, in September of 2014. “At Local Motors, we are hellbent on revolutionizing manufacturing, ” said John B. Rogers, Jr., CEO and co-founder of Local Motors. “Car manufacturers have been stamping parts the same way for more than 100 years. We now have the technology to make the process and products better and faster by linking the online to the offline through DDM. This process will create better and safer products, and we are doing exactly that.” Local Motors launched Project Redacted to challenge the co-creation community to imagine and design the next generation of 3D-printed cars. The winning entry will act as the foundation for the world’s first, and yet-to-be-named, road-ready 3D-printed vehicles. Local Motors plans to design, build and sell a Low Speed Electric Vehicle (LSEV) iteration, planned to debut in Q1 2016, as well as a fully homologated highway-ready version later that year. The winning entry was chosen after a voting process that tapped the Local Motors community, as well as a professional judging panel, including former Tonight Show host and car enthusiast Jay Leno; SEMA Vice President of Vehicle Technology John Waraniak, and SABIC Senior Manager Geert Jan Schellekens. “You need something that makes you go ‘ what’s that?’ ” Leno said of the winning entry. “My top choice would be Reload Redacted - Swim/Sport because it’s sporty, fun, and you can commute in it.” Top U.S. universities and national laboratories continue partnering with Local Motors Local Motors today also unveils a fleet of vehicles it has coined LOCO University Vehicles. LOCO, short for Lo cal Motors Co -Created University Vehicles, is one of the first steps in the company’s effort to change the automotive industry forever by partnering with some of the nation’s top universities and laboratories. The university partnerships will amplify 3D-printing and other technologies by co-creating with some of the best and brightest minds in the nation. The first three universities to participate in the program are the University of Michigan (U of M), Arizona State University (ASU) and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV). Today U of M takes delivery of a LOCO, with its research efforts focusing on the development of autonomous (self-driving) technology. U of M plans to use the LOCO to develop a fleet of autonomous vehicles which will transport students around the University’s North Campus while also serving as the nation’s first testbed for on-demand autonomous. “Think Uber, but with low-speed, autonomous cars, ” said Ed Olson, an associate professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at University of Michigan who leads the project. “The goal of this program is for us to begin to understanding the challenges of a transportation-on-demand system built around autonomous cars.” The UNLV LOCO will also focus on autonomous vehicle technology. The partnership with Arizona State University will conduct and gather groundbreaking research on advanced materials. The goal with all the schools is to deliver the latest technology in additive manufacturing to the Local Motors community, who will be hard at work in the coming months co-creating on and bringing Reload Redacted to roads across America. Cutting-edge technology will define all aspects of the 3D-printed car DDM allows for the rapid adoption of new technology in vehicles. For example, the Local Motors co-creation community has built an electric powertrain test platform to explore advanced battery technology that will go into the 3D-printed car. The battery technology in the test platform uses the same lithium ion chemistry used in existing electric vehicles (as well as iPhones). Local Motors is already working to identify numerous cutting-edge battery options. For example, the company is exploring lithium sulfur battery technology, which creates three times the energy at half the weight of lithium ion technology. The electric powertrain test platform also serves as a base for the development of the powertrain that will be used in the 3D-printed vehicle. Local Motors is poised to leapfrog current EV technology within the next 12 – 18 months. ABOUT LOCAL MOTORS: Local Motors is a technology company that designs, builds, and sells vehicles. From bytes-to-bits, the Local Motors platform combines global co-creation with local micro-manufacturing to bring hardware innovations, like the world’s first 3D-printed car, to market at unprecedented speed. To learn more about and join the Local Motors community, please connect on or follow on Twitter @localmotors. Discover more at localmotors.com.

Investigators have found no immediate signs of foul play after a body was discovered inside a burned vehicle in Cerritos on Sunday, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The body was located in the front seat around 7:45 a.m. in the 7800 block of Denni Street in the L.A. County suburb, bordering the Orange County city La Palma, a news release from the department stated. Homicide detectives and the Sheriff's Department's Arson and Explosives Detail were still at the scene investigating the case. Although they haven't ruled homicide out, authorities were also investigating the possibility that it was a suicide or an accident. A gas can was found inside the car, and the fire was possibly sparked by fumes, a sheriff's official said. The name and age of the male who died were not immediately available. Sunday's incident happened more than a month after three bodies were found in a burning SUV about 13 miles away in Orange. A fourth death has since been linked to November's unsolved case. Anyone with information was asked to contact the Sheriff's Department's Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500. Anonymous tippers could call "Crime Stoppers" at 800-222-TIPS (8477), text the letters TIPLA plus your tip to CRIMES (274637), or visit .

Enhancing your employability skills There is a high demand for graduates with the skills and knowledge provided by this course. According to the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), there is a skills crisis in the UK engineering and technology sectors, with 87, 000 more engineers needed each year for the next 10 years alone. Our course is highly respected by the industry. Our graduates typically enter work with blue chip engineering companies, and are expected to progress to Chartered Engineer status. When you study with us you’ll learn all the key aspects of automotive engineering that will help you to get a job and you’ll have the intellectual, technical and personal qualities needed to implement new technologies in the automotive engineering sector. Wherever possible, we involve employers in curriculum planning and many of our lecturers come from and maintain their links with industry, ensuring they maintain their knowledge of the latest developments. This strong partnership means you benefit throughout your time with us, because you have access to some of the world’s leading car companies, including Bentley, Morgan, Jaguar Land Rover, and Ford. It’s why many of our graduates have gone on to start very successful careers in a wide variety of roles in the industry, in areas ranging from development or design and performance engineering to automotive marketing. International student, Sourabh Joshi , praised the facilities and the labs, which are all equipped with industry-standard technology. “The ratio of theory to practical is around 60:40, which means we got a lot of hands-on experience, which is very handy after graduation, ” he said. “As I have an internationally recognised qualification and a degree from a very renowned university, I have many options.” Peter Adamsen had studied at our Danish partner institution Aarhus Tech before he joined us to further his expertise in automotive engineering. “The fact that the course is focused as much as it is on automotive engineering, while still covering the important parts of a mechanical engineering degree, gives the course a lot of credibility, ” he said. “It is taught by people with many years of industry experience and includes teaching in several software packages relevant to industry. With the way the modules link together, I can transfer what I learn in one module to another; for example, skills in Mathematical Analysis can be transferred to Mechanics and Dynamics, and those skills can again be transferred into Chassis and Suspension. Along the way, the course has provided me with insight into the business and industry of automotive engineering simply through being taught by staff with industry experience – something that is invaluable.”

The commercial and industrial designer works with a variety of specialists including engineers, marketing and corporate strategy staff, materials scientists, cost estimators, and accountants. Nature of the Work for Commercial and Industrial Designers The commercial and industrial designers work is combined with the field of art, business, and engineering to create products for everyday use. The designers are responsible for the style and function of the goods including the safety of the product. Commercial and industrial designers usually work in one product category ranging from automobiles to house wares. The very first step in creating a new design is to determine the requirements and needs of the client, the product’s purpose, and the tastes of the customer. Researching the product is the first thing required and the context in which the product will be used is determined. Factors such as size, shape, weight and color are characteristics that need to be decided. The designers meet with the client, conduct market research, read consumer information, attend trade shows and, often visit with manufacturers and suppliers. Sketches and designs are prepared next, either by hand or computer, to illustrate the vision of the product. Designers create sketches or drawings with a computer-aided design tool called CAD. This device along with other computer tools helps in the design process to help speed up the process. The designers who work for industrial firms use an industrial design tool, CAID, to create designs and readable instructions for machines that can help automated production tools build the product designed to exact specifications. The commercial and industrial designers present their designs along with a prototype to their clients for any changes or suggestions. The designers also work with engineers, accountants, and the cost estimator to decide if a product can be improved for safety, use, or cost efficiency. Safety tests and use of the sample prototypes by consumers are often done prior to the product’s completion or manufacture. It is important to make sure that a design fits into the company’s business plan, so the commercial and industrial designer will often work with the corporate strategy staff. Working with the marketing staff occurs to develop plans that will be best used by consumers. The designer also tries to make sure that the design is accurately portrayed to reflect the company’s image and values. The commercial and industrial designer must of course try to develop and create innovative products before their competitor does. Commercial and industrial designers work in offices with comfortable surroundings. Smaller companies may hire designers to work under a contract to handle specific tasks or jobs. Adjusting their schedules to meet their client’s needs may be necessary as well. Consultants and those designers who are self-employed may work longer hours in small offices to meet deadlines. Designers may often work in their own offices or even in their client’s home or office. Traveling to locations for product testing, exhibitor sites, design centers and, manufacturing facilities may also be part of the designer’s job requirements. Computers can help designers form international design teams and also to help serve more clients over a wider geographic area. Training, Other Qualifications and Advancement for Commercial and Industrial Designers A bachelor’s degree is needed for most positions in commercial and industrial design at an entry level. The degree should be with a major in industrial design, architecture, or engineering. Coursework involves classes in design, sketching, computer-aided design, manufacturing methods, and industrial materials and processes. Classes in engineering, physical science, mathematics and psychology are also helpful. Accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Art and Design usually occurs from about 300 postsecondary colleges, private institutes that have programs in art and design as well as universities.

Establishment [edit] Originally founded as The School of Automotive Trades by Albert Sobey under the direction of the Industrial Fellowship of Flint on October 20, 1919, Kettering University has a long legacy with the automotive industry. The university became known as the Flint Institute of Technology in 1923 before being acquired by General Motors in 1926, becoming the General Motors Institute of Technology and eventually the General Motors Institute in 1932. Sometimes referred to as the “West Point of industry, ” GMI focused on creating business and industry leaders through the unique co-op model (following the development of this program at the University of Cincinnati in 1907). GMI also pioneered freshmen level manufacturing courses (Production Processes I & II), and automotive degree specialties. A fifth-year thesis requirement was added in 1945, along with the ability to grant degrees. The first bachelor's degree was awarded on August 23, 1946. The co-op program required applicants to find a GM division to be their sponsor. Work and school were mixed in six-week rotations, dividing the student body into A-section and B-section. At any given time, when A-section was in school, B-section was at work. After six weeks, B-section would go back to school and so on. This resulted in students moving eight times per year and a 48-week school/work year. Because General Motors used the school to train its engineers, tuition was partially subsidized. In June 1979 (the Class of 1984) co-op rotations were expanded to twelve weeks. Split from GM [edit] After GM reduced operations in Flint, the company and the university separated on July 1, 1982. The name of the institution became "GMI Engineering & Management Institute" and the letters "GMI" were retained to allow easy identification with the old General Motors Institute. The university began charging full tuition as an independent private university. The university kept the cooperative education model, expanding the number of co-op employers for students. The university also began offering graduate programs for both on- and off-campus students. Name change and expansion of programs [edit] The university’s name was formally changed to Kettering University on January 1, 1998, in honor of Charles Kettering. The name change allowed the university to create a separate identity from General Motors as well as publicize the fact that academic programs were expanding beyond just automotive-related offerings. The university launched a physics program in 1995, and had the first ABET-accredited applied physics program in the world in 2013. A chemical engineering program as well as a pre-med course of study were launched in 2008. The chemical engineering program received ABET accreditation in 2013. The computer science program received ABET accreditation in 2007. The university added an applied biology program in 2013. Academics [edit] Kettering University offers Bachelor of Science degrees in Applied Biology, Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Biochemistry, Bioinformatics, Business Administration, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, Industrial Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. The university also offers Master's degrees in Business Administration (MBA), Information Technology, Manufacturing Management, Operations Management, Manufacturing Operations, Engineering Management, and Engineering. Some masters programs are offered online, as the school launched distanced education programs in 2015. Most undergraduate programs require completion of 160 credit hours for graduation. Kettering also offers students more than 40 minors, concentrations, specialties, and courses of study. Kettering's degree programs are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. The Bell Tower at Kettering University Rankings [edit] Kettering University ranked 14th nationally among non-Ph.D.-granting engineering universities and fourth nationally among mechanical engineering programs in the 2015 U.S. News and World Report ‘Best Colleges’ edition. The university also received a 'Best in the Midwest' designation from the Princeton Review. Kettering ranked 12th nationally and first in the Midwest and Michigan in Return on Investment in PayScale.com’s 2015 Return on Investment Rankings.PayScale.com also ranked Kettering 15th nationally and first in Michigan in its 2014 Salary Potential rankings. A 2015 CNN Money article examining the top private colleges in the country in return on investment ranked Kettering 10th, noting that Kettering is sending graduates “out into the world with the skills employers are looking for.” An article in the 2014 issue of Automobile Magazine listed Kettering University among five universities nationwide that students looking to break into the auto industry should attend. The article noted that Kettering University offers "a unique program that doesn’t merely prepare students to work but puts them to work—three months in school, followed by three months on the job, repeat until graduation." Kettering University was ranked 137th on Business Insider's 2014 list of 'The 600 Smartest Colleges in America.' Research [edit] Kettering University faculty have received ten Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grants from the National Science Foundation since 2013, the most MRI grants in Michigan over that period of time. The grants have allowed Kettering to add equipment that includes an X-Ray Diffractometer, an X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) instrument, a motion capture system, a High-Throughput and High-Resolution Three-Dimensional Tissue Scanner with Internet-Connected 3D Virtual Microscope for Large-Scale Automated Histology, and the only 4G LTE Wirless system on a college campus in the country.

Automobile Engineering - Career, Growth, Scope Salary

Regulatory compliance Software should be designed to comply with Office of Foreign Assets Control and Specially Designated Nationals regulations, automatically checking the individual against the terrorist list and for ID verification. It should also support compliance for state, county and city taxes, as well as any registration details. Dealer & traditional financing Auto dealerships’ payments typically come in one of two ways: from traditional lending sources like banks or from the customers themselves in a “Buy Here Pay Here” dealer-financing model. An auto dealer accounting program should support both, managing payments from multiple parties and ownership types, reporting to credit bureaus, sending out automatic late fee reminders and repossessing the vehicle when/if necessary. Credit checking Since loans are involved, the dealership needs fast and easy access to the main credit bureaus. The software should be able to pull credit reports for Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, and be able to report data to those bureaus as well. VIN database records Auto dealership software should connect to VIN databases and/or decoding tools, making it easy to add new vehicles to your inventory and record sales data. Repair order tracking Managing service center repairs is an essential component for most dealers. Repair order tracking software can help manage job progress and efficiency. Age policy settings This feature, a specific benefit for automotive dealerships, allows the user to set the age limit a vehicle can reach on the lot before it is marked down or moved to wholesale. It will issue automatic reminders, therefore supporting the movement of old inventory before its costs exceed the value in keeping it on the lot. Employee performance Tracking sales results for individual salesmen, this feature will automatically calculate commissions, generate reports...