Founded in 1945, Hefei University of Technology has been selected as one of the key national universities administrated directly by the Ministry of Education of China since 1960, with name inscribed by Xiaoping Deng. Mechanical Engineering has been built as the key superior discipline since the foundation of HFUT, and known as one of “The Four Mechanical Dragons” with the first Automotive Engineering Major of China in 1958. The discipline is the key platform of “211” project and “985” advanced discipline project, and the main discipline of “Double First Class” plan.HFUT has been committed to integrating education, research and application to create and convey knowledge that serves our country. It is dedicated to cultivating talent with solid engineering background, conscientious working attitude and strong entrepreneurial ability.This discipline has won 2 National Teaching Achievement Prizes (first and second) and 5 Anhui Provincial Teaching Achievement Prizes (special and first).The M.E. discipline has started the master programs of “Mechanical Manufacturing”, “Automotive” and “Mechanology” in 1981, 1984 and 1987, respectively; the first of them was then authorized to start doctorate program in 1990. In 1997 another doctorate program of “Mechanical Design and Theory” was established, which was awarded the “National Key Discipline” in 2007. In 1999, the post-doctoral program was approved, and it obtained the authorization of the first-level discipline doctorate program in 2000. For the past 70 years, ME discipline have trained over 25,000 of professional technical talents for Chinese automotive and equipment manufacturing industry. A large number of scientists, educators, entrepreneurs and management expertise were graduated from the M.E. discipline, e.g. LU Bingheng, MIAO Wei, YIN Tongyao. The alumni became the main support to the development of numerous manufacturing companies, and made great contribution to many innovative and independent enterprises, such as Dongfeng Motor, JAC and Chery.

The School of Mechanical Engineering (SME) currently holds five second-level doctoral degree-granting programs in Mechanical Design and Theory, Mechanical Manufacturing and Automation, Mechanical Electronic Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Environmental Protection Equipment and Engineering. It also has one professional doctoral program in Engineering (Mechanical Engineering). In addition, the school offers six academic master's degree-granting programs in Mechanical Design and Theory, Mechanical Manufacturing and Automation, Mechanical Electronic Engineering, Fluid Machinery and Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Environmental Protection Equipment and Engineering. Furthermore, there are three professional master's degree programs in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, and Power Engineering. At the undergraduate level, the school offers six bachelor's degree programs: Mechanical Design, Manufacturing, and Automation; Industrial Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Aircraft Manufacturing Engineering; Process Equipment and Control Engineering; and Intelligent Manufacturing Engineering. Notably, the "Mechanical Design, Manufacturing, and Automation" program has been selected as one of the first batch of national first-class undergraduate programs and has received international engineering education accreditation. As of the end of 2020, the school has been granted five "National First-Class Courses" and is involved in two Ministry of Education "New Engineering" research and practice projects.

SME features high-level faculty comprising 204full-time employees, including51full professors, 1 double-hired academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, 3 National Distinguished Professors, 7 Provincial Distinguished Lecturers, 1 Deputy Director and 3 members of the National Education Guidance Commission. Our faculty members have been nominated 8 times for various national talent programs. More than 60% faculty members hold overseas education or study background.

Theschoolfaces the main battlefield of national and regional economic construction, and after more than 70 years of efforts, a number of research base have been established, including one National-provincial engineering technology cooperating center for vehicle technology and equipment, 5 provincial key laboratories (e.g. Provincial Key Lab for Digital Design and Manufacturing) and 7 provincial engineering research center (e.g. Anhui Automotive Technology and Equipment Engineering Center). In addition, one National Authorization and Training Center for Manufacturing Informatization as well as 6 national teaching bases (e.g. “Modern Vehicle Manufacturing Technology Experimental Teaching Center of HFUT”) are also possessed in SME.

Various research groups have been organized, aiming primarily at the contribution to the cutting-edged areas and national economical construction demands. Some typical research areas reveal impressive features and remarkable advances, e.g., Intelligent Robots and Complete Equipment Design, High-grade CNC Machine Tool, New Energy Vehicles and Intelligent Connected Vehicles, Identification and Control of Noise Sources, Tribology and Tribology Design, Green Design and Intelligent Remanufacturing, Monitoring and Control of Manufacturing Process. In the past five years, the SME faculty have won 6 National Key Research and Development Grant of China, more than 70 grants of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) including National Distinguished Young Scholar fund, Regional Innovation and Development Joint Fund, National Excellent Young Scholar fund, General fund, over RMB 420 million research funds, 5 international conferences, more than 1000 journal articles, over 20 academic books (including textbooks), over 500 national patents, over 20 Science and Technology Achievement Awards with Provincial Second Prize and above (including one National Second Prize).

SME is dedicated to advancing core foundational technologies for national major projects, defense industries, and high-end equipment. It leverages its strengths in applied research and collaborative efforts between academia and industry to support the rapid development of equipment manufacturing industries in Anhui and the Yangtze River Delta region. The school was among the pioneers in the development of new energy vehicles and has successfully translated many of its achievements into practical applications. This has significantly enhanced China's automotive manufacturing capabilities and contributed to the growth of the national new energy vehicle sector. In the field of green manufacturing, the college has been involved in research and development, focusing on high-value recycling and efficient resource utilization technologies and equipment in areas such as household appliances, electronics, and automobiles. These efforts have generated significant economic and social benefits. Over four decades, the school has consistently worked on research and development in CNC (Computer Numerical Control) technology and CNC systems. It has filled gaps in the domestic market and achieved international advanced levels in areas such as strong gear hobbing and CNC gear systems' development and industrialization. SME has independently developed a range of integrated equipment, including electrochemical machining and friction and wear equipment, to serve high-end equipment needs. It has also focused on the development of carbon fiber winding structure design and processes to address defense equipment challenges and independently developed biomass energy integrated equipment to support national "dual carbon" goals. Furthermore, SME actively promotes the transformation of scientific and technological achievements and has incubated national high-tech enterprises such as Anhui Juyi Automation, Hefei Bolin New Materials, and Huasheng Pump & Valve Company, showcasing its strong capability to serve society.