Manufacturing systems are complex systems that require analytical analysis. Managers and practitioners use a wide variety of methods to analyze and optimize the performance of manufacturing systems and control costs. In this course, part of the Principles of Manufacturing MicroMasters program, you will learn about Multi-Part-Type Manufacturing Systems. We will discuss Material Requirements Planning (MRP), Multi-Stage Control and Scheduling as well as Simulation and Quality. This course will enableyou to develop an intuition about stochastic production lines.You will understand the importance and cost of inventory buffers, run basic simulation and optimizations and develop a policy to manage production systems. The topics that we cover will provide the basis for you to continue into the manufacturing field in roles such as an operations manager and supply chain manager. This course should be taken in sequence following Introduction to Manufacturing Systems. Develop the skills needed for competence and competitiveness in today’s manufacturing industry with the Principles of Manufacturing MicroMasters Credential, designed and delivered by MIT’s #1-ranked Mechanical Engineering department in the world. Learners who pass the 8 courses in the program will earn the MicroMasters Credential and qualify to apply to gain credit towards MIT’s Master of Engineering in Advanced Manufacturing & Design program.

Plasma, the fourth state of matter, is by far the most abundant form of known matter in the universe. Its behavior is very different from the other states of matter we are usually familiar with. To understand it, a rigorous formalism is required. This is essential not only to explain important astrophysical phenomena, but also to optimize many industrial and medical applications and for achieving fusion energy on Earth. This physics course, taught by world-renowned experts of the field, gives you the opportunity to acquire a basic knowledge of plasma physics. A rigorous introduction to the plasma state will be followed by a description of the models, from single particle, to kinetic and fluid, which can be applied to study its dynamics. You will learn about the waves that can exist in a plasma and how to mathematically describe them, how a plasma can be controlled by magnetic fields, and how its complex and fascinating behavior is simulated using today’s most powerful supercomputers. This course is the first of two courses introducing plasma physics and its applications. After completing this course, you will have the prerequisites to enjoy Plasma Physics: Applications , which deals with plasma applications in astrophysics, industry, medicine, nuclear fusion and laser-plasma interaction.

In this course: (1) you will learn to model the multi-axial stress-strain response of isotropic linear elastic material due to combined loads (axial, torsional, bending); (2) you will learn to obtain objective measures of the severity of the loading conditions to prevent failure; (3) you will learn to use energy methods to efficiently predict the structural response of statically determinate and statically indeterminate structures. This course will give you a foundation to predict and prevent structural failure and will introduce you to energy methods, which form one basis for numerical techniques (like the Finite Element Method) to solve complex mechanics problems This is the third course in a 3-part series. In this series you will learn how mechanical engineers can use analytical methods and “back of the envelope” calculations to predict structural behavior. The three courses in the series are: Part 1 – 2.01x: Elements of Structures. (Elastic response of Structural Elements: bars, shafts, beams). Part 2 – 2.02.1x Mechanics of Deformable Structures: Part 1. (Assemblages of Elastic, Elastic-Plastic, and Viscoelastic Structural Elements). Part 3 – 2.02.2x Mechanics of Deformable Structures: Part 2. (Multi-axial Loading and Deformation. Energy Methods). These courses are based on the first subject in solid mechanics for MIT Mechanical Engineering students. Join them and learn to rely on the notions of equilibrium, geometric compatibility, and constitutive material response to ensure that your structures will perform their specified mechanical function without failing.

Examine how architecture reflects Japan’s history, starting with its emergence as a new nation in the 19th century and the building of the Western-style capital city of Tokyo on the foundations of Edo. New building materials and construction methods reflected changing times, and the radical contrast between tradition and modernism in the nation was clearly visible in Japan’s architecture and politics. While experiencing intense Westernization pressures, Japan developed rapidly to rival the world’s great powers, we will look at how Japanese architects developed their own version of Modernism. Initially, Japanese wanted to pursue the discoveries of the Franco-Swiss Le Corbusier and of Walter Gropius at the German Bauhaus. But soon, Japan also began to produce its own 20th-century architects and develop its own style. Following World War II, Kenzo Tange became the first Japanese architect in history to achieve international fame. In the last section of the course, we will present an interview-based case study titled “Exploring Tokyo Tech’s Twenty-First Century O-okayama Campus.” Tokyo Institute of Technology (aka Tokyo Tech) possesses its own unique and unbroken succession of practicing architects/professors, who design campus buildings. We will learn about Professor Kazuo Shinohara, one of the most prominent Japanese designers of the second half of the 20th century, and several of his renowned disciples from Tokyo Tech. This course aims to illustrate the present state of Japanese Modernist and postmodern building, as well as the distance covered over the past 150 years, including the 130-year history of Tokyo Tech itself. Join us on this journey through time as we examine and admire Japan’s architecture to better understand Japanese history and politics.

There is no doubt that technological innovation is one of the key elements driving human progress. However, new technologies also raise ethical questions, have serious implications for society and the environment and pose new risks, often unknown and unknowable before the new technologies reach maturity. They may even lead to radical disruptions. Just think about robots, self-driving vehicles, medical engineering and the Internet of Things. They are strongly dependent on social acceptance and cannot escape public debates of regulation and ethics. If we want to innovate, we have to do that responsibly. We need to reflect on –and include- our societal values in this process. This course will give you a framework to do so. The first part of the course focuses on ethical questions/framework and concerns with respect to new technologies. The second part deals with (unknown) risks and safety of new technologies including a number of qualitative and quantitative risk assessment methods. The last part of the course is about the new, value driven, design process which take into account our societal concerns and conflicting values. Case studies (ethical concerns, risks) for reflection and discussions during the course include – among others- the coronavirus, nanotechnology, self-driving vehicles, robots, AI, big data & health, nuclear energy and CO2 capture and coolants. Affordable (frugal) innovations for low-income groups and emerging markets are also covered in the course. You can test and discuss your viewpoint. The course is for all engineering students who are looking for a methodical approach to judge responsible innovations from a broader – societal- perspective.

In this engineering course you will learn how to analyze vaults (long-span roofs) from three perspectives: Efficiency = calculations of forces/stresses Economy = evaluation of societal context and cost Elegance = form/appearance based on engineering principles, not decoration We explore iconic vaults like the Pantheon, but our main focus is on contemporary vaults built after the industrial revolution. The vaults we examine are made of different materials, such as tile, reinforced concrete, steel and glass, and were created by masterful engineers/builders like Rafael Guastavino, Anton Tedesko, Pier Luigi Nervi, Eduardo Torroja, Félix Candela, and Heinz Isler. This course illustrates: how engineering is a creative discipline and can become art the influence of the economic and social context in vault design the interplay between forces and form The course has been created for a general audience—no advanced math or engineering prerequisites are needed.  This is the second of three courses on the Art of Structural Engineering, each of which are independent of each other. The course on bridges was launched in 2016, and another course will be developed on buildings/towers.

Have you ever wondered why ventilation helps to cool down your hot chocolate? Do you know why a surfing suit keeps you warm? Why iron feels cold, while wood feels warm at room temperature? Or how air is transferred into aqueous liquids in a water treatment plant? How can we sterilize milk with the least amount of energy? How does medicine spread in our tissue? Or how do we design a new cooling tower of a power plant? All these are phenomena that involve heat transfer, mass transfer or fluid flow. Transport Phenomena investigates such questions and many others, exploring a wide variety of applications ranging from industrial processes to environmental engineering, to transport processes in our own body and even simple daily life problems In this course we will look into the underlying concepts of these processes, that often take place simultaneously, and will teach you how to apply them to a variety of real-life problems. You will learn how to model the processes and make quantitative statements.

Electric vehicles are the future of transportation. Electric mobility has become an essential part of the energy transition, and will imply significant changes for vehicle manufacturers, governments, companies and individuals. If you are interested in learning about the electric vehicle technology and how it can work for your business or create societal impact, then this is the course for you. The experts of TU Delft, together with other knowledge institutes and companies in the Netherlands, will prepare you for upcoming developments amid the transition to electric vehicles. You'll explore the most important aspects of this new market, including state-of-the-art technology of electric vehicles and charging infrastructure; profitable business models for electric mobility; and effective policies for governmental bodies, which will accelerate the uptake of electric mobility. The course includes video lectures, presentations and exercises, which are all reinforced with real-world case studies from projects that were implemented in the Netherlands. The production of this course would not have been possible without the contributions of the Dutch Innovation Centre for Electric Road Transport (D-INCERT) and is taught by experts from both industry and academia, who share their knowledge and insights.

Have you wondered how something was manufactured? Do you want to learn what it takes to turn your design into a finished product at scale? This course introduces a wide range of manufacturing processes including machining, injection molding, casing, and 3D printing; and explains the fundamental and practical aspects of manufacturing at scale. For each process, 2.008x explains the underlying physical principles, provides several examples and demonstrations, and summarizes design for manufacturing principles. Modules are also included on cost estimation, quality and variation, and sustainability. New content added in 2020 includes multimedia examinations of product disassembly and select updated lecture videos. Together, the content will enable you to design a manufacturing process for a multi-part product, make quantitative estimates of cost and throughput, and recognize important constraints and tradeoffs in manufacturing processes and systems. The course concludes with a perspective on sustainability, digitization, and the worldwide trajectory of manufacturing.

Classical detectors and sensors are ubiquitous around us from heat sensors in cars to light detectors in a camera cell phone. Leveraging advances in the theory of noise and measurement, an important paradigm of quantum metrology has emerged. Here, ultra-precision measurement devices collect maximal information from the world around us at the quantum limit. This enables a new frontier of perception that promises to impact machine learning, autonomous navigation, surveillance strategies, information processing, and communication systems. Students in this in-depth course will learn the fundamentals about state-of-the-art quantum detectors and sensors. They will also learn about quantum noise and how it limits quantum devices. The primary goal of the course is to empower students with a critical and deep understanding of emerging applications at the quantum-classical boundary. This will allow them to adopt quantum detectors and sensors for their own endeavors.