Mechanical Engineering

Methods whose primary historical significance is shaping, joining or analyzing mechanical parts and machines. Belongs here: casting, forging, CNC machining, injection molding and welding as parts-shaping and joining methods; mass production and the assembly line as the mechanical manufacturing systems that industrialized them; and computer-aided design, finite element analysis and reverse engineering as the design and analysis methods engineers use to develop and understand mechanical parts. Does not belong here: methods specific to processing the raw material itself before shaping, grouped under Materials Engineering, or methods specific to managing a factory's workflow rather than shaping a part, grouped under Industrial Engineering.