In 1969, the university requested support from various international agencies for the "Development and Operation of a Teaching Center in Mechanical-Electrical Engineering". The Dutch government agreed to the request and on December 10 of the same year, the PUCP Mechanical Engineering Program was created under the name of Mechanical-Electrical Engineering, under the direction of Herman Voorwald. In 1970, the preparation and organization to establish the Mechanical Engineering Section (SIM) began and in 1972, the latter was formally established to train mechanical engineers for the industrial development programmed in our country. This project was in charge of Eng. Voorwald, WL. H. Schmid (Holland) and Eng. Eduardo Castro (Peru). The financial contribution of 35 '000' 000 soles of foreign cooperation allowed SIM to build the infrastructure and educational facilities required and the equipment of its laboratories.
Thus, SIM began its activities, dictating its first courses in 1971 and inaugurating its laboratories on August 18, 1972. In 1975, the university authorities appointed Eng. Miguel Rivas López as head of the Mechanical Engineering Section. It should be noted that in the 80's, SIM continued to receive international donations for the improvement of its laboratories. The section was consolidating; for that reason, in 1995, it created its first postgraduate program: the Master's Degree in Engineering and Materials Science. The following year it created the Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, and in 1996 it acquired numerical control machines, a lathe and a vertical machining center. In addition, the Computer Aided Design Center (CAD-CAM), currently known as CAD-CAE, was created.
Since its inception, the section has been structured by work areas, laboratories and workshops. SIM faculty members train professionals and conduct research in these five areas: Materials, Production, Energy, Design and Automation. In 2009, the Master's Degree in Mechatronics Engineering was created, in which a large number of SIM professors collaborate, and in 2013, the Master's Degree in Energy was created. Throughout the years, the teaching work in the section has been specialized, which allows to face the tasks of research and training. In Mechanical Engineering, knowledge is generated, applied and disseminated with a permanent updating of its resources, which contributes to the progress and welfare of society, and to the improvement of its quality of life.