A new technological age is dawning, and with this new dawn comes greater forms of automation which will inevitably enter every corner of our lives. There is a lot of talk around what this new era will be like and how it will affect different fields of work. It’s completely understandable for people to feel worried about what it might mean for their jobs when it comes to artificial intelligence and its seemingly boundless capabilities and practical applications.
Being mechanical engineering innovators from way back, Prime Engineering finds this topic extremely interesting. It seems that most people who engage in the AI conversation often stem towards fear, but we believe that it should stem towards excitement. So here are some of our thoughts on what AI has in store for the mechanical engineering field and what it means for the future of the industry.
Revolutionising CAD systems
Elon Musk is one of the biggest pro-AI activists on the planet, but he does give fair warning about the advancement of AI and what it might mean for the future of the world. It’s no surprise that people are scared, but that’s because there are very few ways that AI doesn’t improve human capabilities and our careers.
If you’re an engineer, you’re bound by your CAD system. This is why it’s so important to choose the right operating system when it comes to packaging yourself and your abilities. It’s pretty safe to say that AI has the potential to revolutionise what your CAD system can do for you. AI will transform your software into an integrated tool, making it more like a generative assistant. Who wouldn’t want this?
At the moment, you probably spend quite an amount of time on menial tasks such as assembling geometries, which doesn’t leave you feeling fulfilled as an engineer. This is where AI shines. It can step in and take over these menial tasks, whether it’s a basic function or even more of an iterative design. But what impact would this have on our ability to think creatively as engineers?
Helping you focus on the bigger picture
Back to Elon Musk. His company, SpaceX just successfully launched their ‘Falcon Heavy’ rocket, making a historic flight. This rocket was not only able to launch successfully, but it was able to land its two boosters, back on Earth after separation from the main body of the rocket. The success of this launch was based on many factors, including the failures that SpaceX experienced in nearly every category. Many rockets crashed and some even blew up. These failures set them up for the success that they went on to experience. But what if these failures didn’t have to cost millions of dollars?
This is how AI will help us, as mechanical engineers and designers. Of course there are some things that just need to be manually tested, but as AI improves, this list will get smaller and smaller. There’s no doubt that SpaceX could have saved millions of dollars if the technology was available beforehand.
AI and mechanical engineering
So how do we link this back to mechanical engineers and design? AI and automation. Our scope will be widened beyond what anyone would have thought was possible, and with this expansion comes advanced problem-solving. With AI on our side, we will be able to spend more time applying our creativity to drive and realise the creative vision for our clients. If approached in the right way, once our jobs become more integrated with AI and these processes, we will actually become more valuable than we were previously.
At Prime Engineering, we bring over 30 years of technical expertise and state-of-the-art equipment to solve our clients’ complex engineering problems with innovative and tailored solutions. Contact us for any engineering needs via our online contact form or on 07 3217 0555.
