Section of Machine Design and Medical Engineering originates from the Chair of Machine Design and Maintenance with the history reaching 1945 when Gdańsk University of Technology and the Mechanical Faculty were established. In this Faculty among 17 chairs there were Chair of Machine Elements and Chair of Technical Drawing, lead respectively by prof. Adolf Polak and prof. Władysłąw Florjański. One of the very first activities was collaboration with the restored ship industry. In 1947 an important achievement took place – it was the design of a steam machine ML8a, of 1300 hp and 125 rpm for the first ship built by Polish shipyards after WWII named SOŁDEK. The machine was manufactured and after just a year commissioned on 9th January 1949.
Over the decades the Faculty, as well as the chair went through many reorganizations with changing names and professors in charge, but all the time its activity was concentrated in machine design with a special emphasis on practical applications. An important milestone was the appointment of prof. Kazimerz Zygmunt as the chair head – under his leadership a laboratory devoted to experimenatal testing of machine parts was organized, as well as the close collaboration with similar chairs at other Polish universities was initiated. Chair of Machine Elements was the organizer of the first Polish conference devoted to research and teaching in the field of machine design in 1963 – Symposium of Machine Design – organized bi-annualy up till now by different Polish Departments.
The biggest achievement of the staff of the Chair in 1970’s was creating a bearing systems and tribology laboratory, equipped with several test stands built on the basis of own original designs. Leader and organizer of the laboratory was associate professor Olgierd Olszewski. With the use of the new facility, researchers of the department were able to take up various projects, including R&D projects for the industry. The chair was operating under a variety of names, with subsequent Heads being, associate prof. Kazimierz Iwanowski, associate prof. Ryszard Maciakowski, associate prof. Olgierd Olszewski, prof. Antoni Neyman and prof. Michał Wasilczuk.
The recent change occurred in 2021, where in the process of integration of two faculties, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Ocean Engineering, five Institutes were formed, and Section of Machine Design and Medical Engineering is operating within the structure of the Institute of Mechanics and Machine Design, with prof. Michał Wasilczuk as the Head of Section.
[History outline was prepared on the basis of Edward Gill and Antoni Neyman extensive historical materials.]