Product Engineering

Engineering: Safety Engineering is the assessment of various crash scenarios and their impact on the vehicle occupants. These are tested against very stringent governmental regulations. Some of these requirements include: Seat belt and air bag functionality. Front and side crash worthiness. Resistance to rollover. Assessments are done with various methods and tools: Computer crash simulation, crash test dummies, partial system sled and full vehicle crashes.

Fuel Economy/Emissions: Fuel economy is the measured fuel efficiency of the vehicle in miles per gallon or litres per 100 kilometres. Emissions testing the measurement of the vehicles emissions: hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), and evaporative emissions.

Vehicle Dynamics: Vehicle dynamics is the vehicles response of the following attributes: ride, handling, steering, braking, and traction. Design of the chassis systems of suspension, steering, braking, structure (frame), wheels and tires, and traction control are highly leveraged by the Vehicle Dynamics engineer to deliver the Vehicle Dynamics qualities desired.

NVH Engineering (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness): NVH is the customer's impression both tactile (feel) and audible (hear) feedback from the vehicle. While sound can be interpreted as a rattle, squeal, or hoot, a tactile response can be seat vibration, or a buzz in the steering wheel. This feedback is generated by components either rubbing, vibrating or rotating. NVH response can be classified in various ways: powertrain NVH, road noise, wind noise, component noise, and squeak and rattle. Note, there are both good and bad NVH qualities. The NVH engineer works to either eliminate bad NVH, or change the “bad NVH” to good (i.e., exhaust tones).
Performance: Performance is the driver’s perception of the vehicle's power and pickup. This is influenced by vehicle acceleration, sound of the engine, accelerator pedal feel, and shift quality. Performance is perceived in various ways: wide-open-throttle (WOT) acceleration, 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) -launch performance, or highway passing power.

Shift Quality: Shift Quality is the driver’s perception of the vehicle to an automatic transmission banana event. This is influenced by the powertrain (engine, transmission), and the vehicle (driveline, suspension, etc). Shift feel is both a tactile (feel) and audible (hear) response of the vehicle. Shift Quality is experienced as various events: Transmission shifts are felt as an upshift at acceleration (1-2), or a downshift maneuver in passing (4-2). Shift engagements of the vehicle are also evaluated, as in Park to Reverse, etc.

Durability / Corrosion Engineering: Durability and Corrosion engineering is the evaluation testing of a vehicle for its useful life. This includes mileage accumulation, severe driving conditions, and corrosive salt baths.

Package / Ergonomics Engineering: Package Engineering is a discipline that designs/analyzes the occupant accommodations (seat roominess), ingress/egress to the vehicle, and the driver’s field of vision (gauges and windows). The Package Engineer is also responsible for other areas of the vehicle like the engine compartment, and the component to component placement. Ergonomics is the discipline that assesses the occupant's access to the steering wheel, pedals, and other driver/passenger controls.

Climate Control: Climate Control is the customer’s impression of the cabin environment and level of comfort related to the temperature and humidity. From the windshield defrosting, to the heating and cooling capacity, all vehicle seating positions are evaluated to a certain level of comfort.

Drivability: Drivability is the vehicle’s response to general driving conditions. Cold starts and stalls, rpm dips, idle response, launch hesitations and stumbles, and performance levels.

Cost: The cost of a vehicle program is typically split into the effect on the variable cost of the vehicle, and the up-front tooling and fixed costs associated with developing the vehicle. There are also costs associated with warranty reductions, and marketing.

Program timing: To some extent programs are timed with respect to the market, and also to the production schedules of the assembly plants. Any new part in the design must support the development and manufacturing schedule of the model.

Assembly Feasibility: It is easy to design a module that is hard to assemble, either resulting in damaged units, or poor tolerances. The skilled product development engineer works with the assembly/manufacturing engineers so that the resulting design is easy and cheap to make and assemble, as well as delivering appropriate functionality and appearance.

Plant Engineering

Driven by rising global demand for petroleum products, new refineries are being built world-wide. At the same time, many of the existing refineries have embarked on enhancement of their capacities substantially.
Consequently, all major refining companies and the EPC companies engaged by them are in need of a wide range of engineering design and detailing services and on-site support.
Plant Engineering Services provided by Infotech address these needs – with emphasis on quality, reliability, data security, reduction of cycle time and minimization of overall costs.

The Infotech Advantage
Starting with Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) and initial Lay-out Plans as inputs, Infotech’s Plant Engineering Group takes up development of detailed General Arrangement Plans, P&IDs, equipment modeling, 3-D pipe routing, isometrics, 2-D production drawings and Bills of Material.
On-site project support services are also provided in order to take up the final stage of detailing and incorporation of inputs from other branches of engineering.

Benefits to our customers include:
*Reduction in design cycle time
*Rapid response and reliable delivery – essential for time-critical projects
*Engineering solutions that are customized to meet clients’ special needs, EPC
* practices and preferences
*Ready access to a team of specialists in piping design, 3-D pipe routing, preparation
of Bills of Material and production information and on-site support
*Rapid ramp-up and ramp-down in accordance with project requirements
*Flexible delivery model including on-site and off-site working and strategic
outsourcing partnership
*Commitment to consistent quality and security of commercially sensitive data
*Availability of a wide range of CAD/CAM tools and specialist software
*A wide range of related engineering services and IT solutions from a single source

Automotive

Today automotive industry is marked by a ever increasing competitive pressure to come out with better products in reduced cost, reduced product life cycles, localized to customer needs, wherein the cost of inputs are on rise, improving engineering productivity is becoming a critical measure in driving growth .

Infotech with its unique Global Delivery Model has been successfully partnering with automotive companies worldwide in shouldering their efforts to build world class products in the shortest possible times.

Broadly we are working for the following Vehicle categories

Passenger vehicles
Commercial Vehicles- HCV,LCV and Buses
Offhigway Vehicles- Tractors, earthmovers like Backhoe loaders
Personal mobility vehicles, lawn movers, golf carts,
Land based defense systems like artillery, tanks
Multi utility vehicles

Systems Expertise

Interiors and Seating
Body in White
Exteriors
Powertrains
Wiring harness
Chassis
Suspensions and brakes
Tools, Jigs and Fixtures
Automotive electronics

Our people have knowledge of widely used design and manufacturing standards (e.g. plastics, sheet metal and tool design) used across the industry enabling us to deliver services right from the concept stage to aftermarket support.

Development Engineer

A Development Engineer is a job function within Automotive Engineering, in which the development engineer has the responsibility for coordinating delivery of the engineering attributes of a complete automobile (bus, car, truck, van, SUV, etc.) as dictated by the automobile manufacturer, governmental regulations, and the customer who buys the product.

Much like the Systems Engineer, the Development Engineer is concerned with the interactions of all systems in the complete automobile. While there are multiple components and systems in an automobile that have to function as designed, they must also work in harmony with the complete automobile. As an example, the brake system's main function is to provide braking functionality to the automobile. Along with this, it must also provide an acceptable level of: pedal feel (spongy, stiff), brake system “noise” (squeal, shudder, etc), and interaction with the ABS (anti-lock braking system).

Another aspect of the development engineer's job is a trade-off process required to deliver all the automobile attributes at a certain acceptable level. An example of this is the trade-off between engine performance and fuel economy. While some customers are looking for maximum power from their engine, the automobile is still required to deliver an acceptable level of fuel economy. From the engine's perspective, these are opposing requirements. Engine performance is looking for maximum displacement (bigger, more power), while fuel economy is looking for a smaller displacement engine (ex: 1.4 L vs. 5.4 L). The engine size, though is not the only contributing factor to fuel economy and automobile performance. Other attributes include: automobile weight, aerodynamic drag, transmission gearing, emission control devices, and tires.

The Development Engineer is also responsible for organising automobile level testing, validation, and certification. Components and systems are designed and tested individually by the Product Engineer. The final evaluation though, has to be conducted at the automobile level to evaluate system to system interactions. As an example, the audio system (radio) needs to be evaluated at the automobile level. Interaction with other electronic components can cause interference. Heat dissipation of the system and ergonomic placement of the controls need to be evaluated. Sound quality in all seating positions needs to be provided at acceptable levels

Auto Fields

Automotive engineers are involved in almost every aspect of designing cars and trucks, from the initial concepts right through to manufacturing them.

Broadly speaking, automotive engineers are separated into three main streams: product engineering, development engineering and manufacturing engineering.

* Product engineer (also called design engineer), that would design components/systems (i.e brake engineer and battery engineer). This engineer designs and test a part, seeing that it meets all its requirements (i.e. the shock), performs as required, material meets desired durability and so on.

* Development engineer, that engineers the attributes of the automobile. This engineer may provide to the design engineer what spring rate he/she requires to provide the "ride" characteristics required for the automobile to perform as desired, etc.

* Manufacturing engineer, determines how to make it.

In Toyota, for example, manufacturing engineering is regarded as a more prestigious career path than designing and developing the cars.

Engineering and Design

The Department, formerly Engineering & Information Technology, was awarded a grade 5 in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise, recognising research work of international excellence. Sussex continues to offer taught courses and research opportunities to postgraduate students in a range of interdisciplinary areas. Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Digital Communications and related areas are all strongly represented as research teams of international standing and as taught Master’s programmes.

MSc taught courses
The Department offers MSc programmes in these subjects:

* Advanced Mechanical Engineering/Mechanical Engineering
* Aerospace Technology
* Automotive Engineering (joint programme with the University of Brighton)
* Turbomachinery
* Embedded Digital Systems
* Modern Communication Technologies with Business Management
* Modern Digital Communication Systems
* Satellite Communications and Space Systems

PG Diploma/Cerrtificate options and part-time study are available on some programmes. For details,

Doctoral-level research
The Department carries out high-quality research within five research groupings:

* Thermo-Fluid Mechanics Research Centre (incorporating the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre in Aero-Thermal Systems)
* Centre for Physical Electronics and Quantum Technology
* Industrial Informatics and Manufacturing Systems
* Communications and Space Science Research Group
* Automotive Dynamics and Control Group

For details,
Funding
Research projects are funded by industry, research organisations, government departments and medical charities. EPSRC research studentships, including CASE awards, are available. Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) are available for well-qualified research students with good English. GTA pay living expenses and UK fees in return for a teaching commitment. For details,

For MSc students, currently the MSc in Aerospace Technology has bursaries available. Alumni awards are available for former Sussex students, and well-qualified overseas student may be eligible for a Chancellor’s International Scholarships. For details,
Additional skills training
All science postgraduates can obtain no-cost training in skills such as time management, project management, science writing, interview techniques and communication skills.

University and city
Our working environment is relaxed and friendly, with a campus set amidst the beautiful South Downs, yet only five minutes away from the vibrant seaside city of Brighton. All international postgraduates are guaranteed accommodation in university halls of residence, on campus or in nearby in Brighton town. The campus is well-served by local bus and train services which connect to Brighton and to Gatwick airport which is less than an hour away.