Michael Kaeding Machine Design in the Agricultural & Mining Industry

Being an Engineer · 28 Jan 2022 · 25m · Episode 4

What this episode covers

Michael Kaeding, a Project Engineer at Rockford Engineering, discusses machine design in the agricultural and mining industries, contrasting cost-driven tolerance strategies in high-volume ag equipment with reliability-focused designs for heavy mining machinery like Sandvik scoops. He details his career progression from a Saskatchewan ag company to Rockford, highlighting the importance of tolerance stack-ups, sheet metal manufacturing awareness, and gathering feedback from assembly technicians to avoid costly rework. Kaeding also outlines the Canadian Professional Engineer (PE) licensing process, emphasizing the four-year experience requirement and ethics exams, while advising junior engineers to prioritize curiosity and shop-floor interaction over pure theoretical knowledge.

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