Since Hong Kong's economy started to pick up in the late '80s and early '90s, mechanical engineering has had an ancillary yet important role to play in fuelling the city's manufacturing and infrastructure developments. The contributions are as far-reaching as anything, from producing toys in a factory to building aircraft in hangars.
As the fourth-largest discipline in the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE) with a membership of 1,300 qualified mechanical engineers, mechanical engineering involves machinery design, energy conversion, instrumentation and control, in addition to physical and chemical processes.
Mechanical engineers need to apply inter-disciplinary knowledge to produce, operate and maintain equipment, machinery and energy conversion systems, material processing and transportation. Their work can also include power generation, wind turbines and hydropower plants so that we can enjoy the conveniences provided by all the electric appliances in our homes.
Today mechanical engineering involves a vast amount of technological elements, and mechanical engineers are expected to embrace advances in computer technology through the use of computer-aided design (CAD) and simulation tools. By using CAD, mechanical engineers can evaluate and understand the characteristics of a product or project in a better light before production begins.
Computational fluid dynamics computer simulation tools are also widely used to help engineers verify a system's design and allow them to evaluate its performance prior to implementation. Development of alternative energy resources, nano-technology, bio-medical engineering, and micro-machinery have all become part of a mechanical engineer's repertoire.
The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Hong Kong Polytechnic University all offer undergraduate programmes in mechanical engineering, while the Institute of Vocational Education runs higher diploma courses.
