Product design – Fractory https://fractory.com The Partner for Online Manufacturing Tue, 17 Dec 2024 16:35:08 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://fractory.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/cropped-fractory-logo-11-32x32.png Product design – Fractory https://fractory.com 32 32 Target Costing: A Blueprint for Procurement Engineers https://fractory.com/target-costing/ https://fractory.com/target-costing/#respond Thu, 26 Sep 2024 10:34:52 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=23987 Achieving cost efficiency while delivering high-quality engineered solutions is essential for success. Target costing is a strategic approach that integrates cost management into both product design and development, ensuring that […]

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Achieving cost efficiency while delivering high-quality engineered solutions is essential for success. Target costing is a strategic approach that integrates cost management into both product design and development, ensuring that products are not only technically sound but also competitively priced. By employing a target pricing strategy from the outset, companies can manage costs more effectively and enhance their overall profitability.

What Is Target Costing?

Target costing strategies ensure that cost management is embedded into the design process from the start. Unlike traditional costing approaches that determine costs after the design phase, target costing begins with the end price in mind. This involves setting a target selling price based on market research and desired profit margins, then working backward to determine the maximum allowable cost that will still enable the desired price and top profit margin.

Formula for Target Costing:

Target Cost = Market Price – Desired Profit Margin

This formula helps businesses align their product design and production costs with the target pricing strategy, ensuring that the final product meets the competitive price expectations and desired profit margins. By setting a target cost early, companies can avoid costly design changes and better manage their production costs throughout the product development cycle.

Key Takeaways
  • Target Pricing Strategy: Start with a clear target selling price based on market research and desired profit margins to guide the product design and development process.
  • Maximum Cost Determination: Calculate the maximum cost that allows for the desired profit margin, and use this as a benchmark for design and manufacturing decisions.
  • Design Optimisation: Focus on value engineering and design optimisation to meet cost targets while ensuring high performance and quality.
  • Supplier Collaboration: Engage with suppliers early to negotiate cost-effective terms and identify cost-saving opportunities.
  • Proactive Cost Management: Regularly monitor costs throughout the development cycle and adjust as needed to stay within the target cost.
  • Target Cost Contracts: Use target cost contracts to align pricing expectations and manage costs effectively, sharing any savings between contractors and clients.

Target Costing in Engineered Solutions

For engineered solutions, target costing involves a precise focus on balancing cost, functionality, and quality. The target costing process ensures that the final product or service used meets both customer expectations and financial objectives. Here’s how target costing can be applied to engineered products:

Steps in Target Costing for Engineered Products

  1. Market Research: Begin by conducting thorough market research to determine the competitive market price and the amount customers are willing to pay for the proposed product. This research helps establish a realistic target selling price that aligns with market conditions and customer expectations.

  2. Cost Goal Setting: Using the target selling price and desired profit margin, calculate the maximum cost that the product can afford. This maximum cost serves as a benchmark for design and manufacturing decisions, ensuring alignment with the target pricing strategy and overall profitability goals.

  3. Design Optimisation: Engineers must focus on optimising the product design from concept generation to final delivery to meet the target cost without compromising on performance or quality. This might involve Design to Cost (DTC) and value engineering techniques to identify cost-saving opportunities, such as selecting cost-effective materials or simplifying and fool-proofing the design to reduce production costs and errors.

  4. Supplier Collaboration: Effective collaboration with suppliers is crucial for achieving the target costs for components and materials. By working closely with suppliers, companies can negotiate better terms, identify cost-saving opportunities, and ensure that components meet both quality and cost requirements.

  5. Continuous Monitoring: Throughout the design and development cycle, it is essential to monitor costs regularly to ensure that the project remains within the target cost. This involves tracking expenses, evaluating cost-saving measures, and making adjustments as needed to stay aligned with the final target cost. An often-overlooked area in cost control is tail spend – those low-value, one-off purchases that collectively impact budgets.

Incorporating Target Costing into Product Development

Integrating the target price into the product development cycle involves several key considerations:

  1. Design Phase: During the design phase, target costing requires engineers to balance technical requirements with cost constraints. This may involve iterative design adjustments to ensure that the product meets both performance and cost objectives.

  2. Value Analysis and Value Engineering: Implementing value analysis and value engineering techniques can help identify cost-saving opportunities and optimise product design. These approaches focus on improving the value of the product by enhancing functionality while reducing costs.

  3. Life Cycle Costing: Consider life cycle costing to evaluate the total cost of ownership, including initial production costs, maintenance, and disposal costs. This comprehensive approach helps in setting realistic target costs and ensuring long-term profitability.

  4. External Factors: Be aware of external factors such as market changes, regulatory requirements, and supply chain disruptions that can impact the target cost. Proactive cost planning and flexibility in design can help mitigate these risks.

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Case Study: Fractory’s Role in Engineered Solutions and Target Cost Contracts

Fractory’s advanced digital manufacturing platform provides customers with a valuable tool for managing target costing in engineered solutions and contracts. By leveraging Fractory’s capabilities and expertise, companies can streamline cost management and achieve their target pricing goals more effectively.

Case Study: AIE’s Success with Fractory

Advanced Industrial Engineering, an industrial machinery manufacturer, faced challenges meeting target costs for a bespoke production line project. They required a solution to manage production costs efficiently and align the price of their offering with customer expectations.

Solution:

AIE adopted Fractory’s platform to enhance their target costing process. Fractory offered several key benefits:

  1. Real-Time Cost Analysis: Fractory’s instant quoting system enabled AIE to quickly assess the cost implications of design changes. This real-time Design for Manufacturing (DFM) feedback facilitated timely adjustments to stay within the target cost.

  2. Optimised Production Processes: Fractory’s account managers, who are experienced mechanical engineers, helped AIE select the most cost-effective production methods and materials. They considered factors such as tolerances, material availability, and part quantities to ensure alignment with target pricing strategies while meeting the expected lead time. This approach delivered high-quality results while keeping costs in check.

  3. Enhanced Supplier Selection & Communication: Fractory’s expertise in matching projects with specialised manufacturers ensures that each step of the project is handled by the most qualified and cost-efficient supplier. In the case of AIE, the project was split between three manufacturers: one for laser cutting and bending, another one for welding, and a third for powder coating. Each manufacturer focused on their area of expertise, improving cost management and product quality. Fractory acted as the sole point of contact, significantly reducing the time and complexity of managing multiple suppliers.

Outcome:

With Fractory’s support, AIE successfully achieved its target cost while streamlining their procurement process. The platform’s real-time cost analysis, optimised production processes and enhanced supplier collaboration not only helped the business to meet its target pricing objectives but also accelerated the project’s expected completion time, providing the business with a significant competitive advantage.

Case Study: Cutting Procurement Costs - Advanced Industrial Engineering
Case Study: Cutting Procurement Costs - Advanced Industrial Engineering

Target Costing in Contracts

Target costing can also be effectively applied to contractual agreements, known as target cost contracts. These contracts establish a target cost before the agreement is finalised, representing the expected expense for delivering the agreed-upon product or service. Here’s how target pricing and cost contracts function:

How Target Cost Contracts Work:

  1. Negotiation: Before signing the contract, the contractor and client agree on a target cost based on detailed cost estimates and project requirements. This target cost becomes the pricing benchmark for the contract, setting expectations for cost management and delivery.

  2. Cost Management: During the project, the contractor works to deliver the product or service within the target cost. Any cost savings realised below the target cost are often shared between the contractor and client through a predefined profit-sharing arrangement, which incentivises cost control and efficiency.

  3. Adjustments: If actual costs exceed the target cost, the contractor may be responsible for covering the additional expenses, depending on the contract terms. This arrangement encourages proactive cost planning and effective cost management to avoid overruns and maintain financial performance.

Conclusion

Target costing is a crucial strategy for managing costs in engineered solutions and contractual agreements. By setting a target selling price from the beginning and working closely with suppliers, companies can ensure that the prices of their products meet both financial and market expectations.

Fractory’s cloud manufacturing solutions play a significant role in supporting target costing efforts, offering real-time cost analysis services, streamlined production processes, and enhanced supplier integration services. For procurement professionals and engineers looking to optimise their cost management and achieve their pricing goals, Fractory provides invaluable tools and insights.

Explore how Fractory can support your target costing initiatives to reduce costs and drive success in your company’s engineered solutions.

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Design for Maintenance Principles Explained https://fractory.com/design-for-maintenance/ https://fractory.com/design-for-maintenance/#respond Wed, 22 Feb 2023 11:44:14 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=20944 Design for Maintenance is a subset of the Design for Excellence (DFX) philosophy. The philosophy considers the fact that product design can have a considerable influence over the life cycle […]

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Design for Maintenance is a subset of the Design for Excellence (DFX) philosophy. The philosophy considers the fact that product design can have a considerable influence over the life cycle aspects of a product such as manufacturing, assembly, reliability, sustainability, and so on.

By accounting for these factors in the early stages of the design process, we can prevent costly problems through easy and cost-effective solutions.

In this article, we take a look at Design for Maintenance and how using certain ground rules can help us ensure optimum product maintenance.

What Is Design for Maintenance?

Design for Maintenance (or Design for Maintainability) is a philosophy that aims to reduce the difficulties and costs associated with maintaining products. A maintenance-centric design takes into consideration the operation and future maintenance of products. This ensures that we can meet maintainability objectives in a quick, easy and affordable manner.

The focus on maintenance can start from the design stage itself.

Any product’s design has a significant influence on its maintainability. By taking an interdisciplinary approach between function, cost, complexity and maintenance, we can achieve a product design with better lifecycle performance with only a small uptick in initial investment.

Key Benefits

The key benefits of applying design for maintainability principles are as follows:

  • Lower costs

  • Fewer mistakes

  • Reduced downtime

  • Safer maintenance tasks

  • Easier troubleshooting and repair

  • Time savings (faster disassembly, rectification and assembly)

Let us take a look at some of the popular principles that can help us achieve the above benefits.

Design for Maintenance Principles

Many of the design principles should not be new to those familiar with other DFX techniques, such as Design for Assembly (DFA), Design for Manufacturing (DFM), etc. But there are definitely some unique angles on how these principles are applied to simplify maintenance.

The ten most popular principles are as follows:

  1. Standardisation

  2. Modularisation

  3. Accessibility

  4. Malfunction Annunciation

  5. Weak link design

  6. Easy identification

  7. Efficient packaging

  8. Use of quick fasteners

  9. Safety by design

  10. Use of standard interfaces

Standardisation

Standardisation refers to the use of standard components when designing products. These could be something as simple as fasteners such as nuts and bolts or complex parts such as VFDs used for controlling motor speeds.

By using standard equipment, maintenance tasks become much more affordable as these components are usually manufactured at economies of scale which reduces their individual costs.

For instance, there are tens of brands that produce smartwatches with a standard dial size of 1.78″ because this is a size that can be procured easily and affordably from the market.

Standard parts also prevent confusion and errors as the technicians are familiar with their use and areas of application.

Modularisation

electrical engineering

Modularisation refers to the design of a component using subcomponents that are interchangeable when a defect occurs. All the subcomponents are self-contained.

Having a well-modularised product allows maintenance technicians and engineers to replace faulty parts without affecting other components. Moreover, only the faulty components need to be swapped which also reduces the maintenance cost and time.

A good example of efficient modularisation can be seen in industrial electrical systems where many self-contained parts such as relays, contactors, and fuses combine with field devices such as motors, actuators, valves, fans, sensors, dampers and VFDs.

Whenever a fault develops, due to efficient modularisation, the fault can be isolated easily and rectified by only replacing the faulty detachable modules.

Accessibility

Parts that are designed to be maintained must be within easy access of engineers and technicians. They must also have enough space around them to allow the movement of tools such as torque spanners and hammers without obstruction.

Faults usually give enough weak signals before breakdown. Sufficient space around equipment also allows for constant checks on the equipment which is important for a condition monitoring program.

Similarly, these parts should not require the removal of other parts as far as possible to increase the ease with which they can be separated from the system when performing repair.

Malfunction annunciation

car error codes and symbols

When a product breaks down, a lot of time is sometimes spent on fault-finding. This is seen especially in electrical systems. The troubleshooting can take much longer than the rectification.

As far as possible, the system must be able to inform the technician of the fault. An example of malfunction annunciation can be seen in modern washing machines where the display shows different error codes or symbols for different faults.

The technicians can easily identify the fault by referring to the product manual. This increases the efficiency of maintenance by reducing the cost and time associated with the process.

Weak link design

All systems and products can be designed with a weak link that is the first to fail in the event of a fault. The simplest example of such a weak link is a fuse in an electrical system.

When an electrical fault occurs, the fuse blows and prevents the fault from harming any other component. It acts as both a failsafe mechanism, preventing damage to more expensive and difficult-to-replace components, and a maintenance point to bring the system back online.

But care must be taken to ensure that the weak link is easy and quick to replace and relatively cheap.

Easy identification

Easy identification can save a lot of time, especially in complex systems with many similar-looking components.

As far as possible, the naming convention for the different parts must be simple and memorable. In the case where there are too many components, a uniform system must be followed throughout the system for ease of understanding.

An excellent example of systematic naming conventions can be seen in large electrical systems. For instance, if you take a look at a ship’s electrical plan, you will see that it has hundreds of pages of interconnecting equipment that can become very difficult to track without a reliable system.

As a result, each page of the electrical plan is divided into columns (and sometimes rows) and the components are named as per their position in the electrical plan.

For instance, if a motor’s wiring diagram is present on page 25 in column no. 2, the motor is named M252 for instant access to the diagram in the case of a fault. A physical tag having the same number is placed on the motor. The technician can instantly access the motor diagram without having to sift through hundreds of pages.

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Efficient packaging

We can also use packaging to improve the rate of maintenance. All the components required for carrying out a certain maintenance task can be collected and packed together to expedite the activity.

This prevents loss of time in looking for components and tools when the maintenance is underway.

An example of functional packaging can be seen in the way centrifugal separator maintenance kits are provided. Whenever a bowl cleaning procedure is to be carried out, the technician removes the maintenance kit supplied by the manufacturer. The kit contains all the O-rings, seals and fasteners required for the job in one package.

The technician can easily perform the complete maintenance and ensure that he has replaced all the parts by checking the package.

Use quick fasteners

Quick fasteners can be used in cases where there is no pressure buildup within the component, and no risk of leakage or repeated access to a component is necessary.

Quick fasteners such as press-fit panels, push-in clips, quarter-turn knobs, spring-loaded plungers, wing nuts, snap fasteners, and swell and slide latches are all very efficient in reducing the time taken to access protected components.

Safety by design

poka-yoke

Sometimes, during maintenance procedures, the most experienced personnel can make mistakes for various reasons, such as fatigue or ambiguous instructions.

To account for these, designers can incorporate safety features into the component design to prevent incorrect positioning of critical equipment. The equipment should only be able to fit in the correct way.

This can be done by making the connection asymmetrical or through visual cues such as matching plugs and sockets by colour. This technique is referred to as mistake-proofing (poka-yoke).

A good example is your phone’s SIM card, which only fits in the correct orientation. Any other orientation will not be able to accommodate the SIM card in the slot.

Use of standard interfaces

The use of standard interfaces increases the ease of connection between components.

Technicians rarely make mistakes when handling familiar components. They are also easier to replace. Some common examples of standard interfaces are power sockets and USB connections.

Summary

Maintenance is an inseparable aspect of many products, especially in capital-intensive industries. Often, the maintenance costs over a product’s lifecycle can add up to several times the initial investment cost, especially if it has a poor design.

However, not favouring maintenance and running equipment to the point of failure can cost 10 times more than a regular maintenance programme. It is crucial that we give due consideration to the equipment’s maintainability in all stages.

This is why design for maintenance is so important. By incorporating simple, cost-effective strategies, we can develop products that are easy to maintain and ensure that they last longer and provide more value to customers.

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Design to Cost Principles Explained https://fractory.com/design-to-cost-dtc/ https://fractory.com/design-to-cost-dtc/#respond Tue, 20 Sep 2022 19:18:37 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=18877 Design to Cost is a part of Design for Excellence (DFX) philosophy along with its other branches such as Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), Design for Supply […]

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Design to Cost is a part of Design for Excellence (DFX) philosophy along with its other branches such as Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), Design for Supply Chain (DFSC) and Design for Sustainability (DFS) to name a few.

As over 70% of the product’s final cost is determined during the design stage, Design to Cost methodology is an important approach for manufacturing companies to achieve a more precise cost estimation.

What Is Design to Cost?

Traditional approaches have considered product cost an important factor in later development stages and independent from design decisions. This can result in estimated product costs that are significantly higher than target costs. In some cases, even redesign might be needed which would become an additional investment.

Design to Cost or Design for Cost or DTC is a cost management principle that accounts for development, production and service costs at the design stage. Design to Cost also aims to implement the necessary cost strategy during the development cycle of the project so that cost targets will become independent variables to guide the decision-making.

Design to Cost shouldn’t be seen as the same as target costing. While target costing takes a broader approach—encompassing administrative, marketing and other activities—DTC focuses exclusively on managing costs during the design phase. In target costing, a specific cost target is set from the start, whereas DTC integrates cost management as a guiding factor throughout the design process to ensure that cost targets are met without requiring later adjustments or redesigns.

Design to Cost Phases

To implement effective DTC before the production process, a strategic foundation should be followed.

Defining Target Cost

The first stage in applying design to cost is to define the acceptable cost of the final product. This can be done by creating multiple standards or tiers for the outcome. The basic standard or lower tier would have only the essential quality and functionality. A tier above this would have some innovation and extra features. The top tier would add even more functionality and luxury. The latter can also be considered as design to value, a concept explored in cost and value engineering, which looks at optimising cost efficiency while maintaining high product value and functionality.

Depending on the project type, any one of these tiers can be used as a starting point at this stage. This is an essential part of DTC as it will help to understand the needs and scopes of the client and lay out the framework for the following stages.

Cost Management and Cost Reduction Strategies

This stage is at the core of Design to Cost methodology. The following section will lay out different cost drivers to bear in mind in the product design phase that will influence the final product’s price.

Design standardisation

One of the most important aspects of design development in any manufacturing industry is the standardisation of design across the product range. This should take into account any materials used while aiming for modular design as this helps to reduce fixed costs greatly. This strategy is definitely not exclusive to Design to Cost methodology as it is also one of the key focus points for Design for Assembly & Design for Manufacturing & Assembly.

Use of standard parts

The use of standard parts is another great way to further reduce production costs. Collaboration with the suppliers of these parts can also increase flexibility. When standardisation is implemented across the entire supply chain, it reduces the set-up and inventory cost, thereby simplifying supply chain management. Thus this strategy is also in the focus of Design for Supply Chain. And finally, there is the added benefit of reducing costs associated with R&D.

Geographical factors

Manufacturing location is a crucial aspect of cost management. There are multiple important geographical factors to consider while making this decision such as supply chains and ecosystems, the availability of components, matters related to labor, taxes and duties.

Packaging & transportation

Weight and volume are the keywords when considering transportation and together with packaging, these should be accounted for in the design process.

Waste minimisation

One of the most important concepts in terms of waste minimisation is lean manufacturing. The focus here is on reducing waste in all production stages. Any feature on the final product that doesn’t add value to the client is also seen as waste and should be thus removed from the product at this stage.

Maintenance

While not a part of the production process, maintenance should not be forgotten as a cost within the design. The right design decisions can increase maintenance intervals and accessibility for difficult areas. Having a maintenance-friendly design in focus can thus reduce future costs after the production cycle.

None of these factors can be viewed in isolation as they’re all intertwined and have direct costs. Design to Cost should always be seen as a wide-ranging approach that can include a multitude of concepts. Depending on the project type and requirements, the design team should decide which aspects are most appropriate when considering DTC.

Analysing Results

This is the most important stage in DTC as it will determine manufacturing decisions. When analysing results it is important to evaluate if the design at hand fits the objectives or if it can be improved. The design to cost process should be repeated until the design fits the objectives, surpasses them or cannot be improved further.

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Challenges in Design to Cost Implementation

The development of design to strategy can pose multiple challenges. The following sections address some of the most prevalent ones.

Job responsibilities

One of the most prevalent challenges around product cost is the uncertainty in terms of responsibility. To overcome this, design engineers should be allowed both the freedom and responsibility along with the necessary tools to implement cost management via design solutions.

Engineering culture

Another difficult aspect when putting design to cost into practice is the engineering culture as product engineers may not have an overview of many of the important cost drivers. For addressing this issue, engineers need resources to understand costs at the design stage. This should be achieved without the unnecessary burden of expert resources.

Component-level knowledge

To implement all of the aforementioned cost management strategies, the design engineering team needs to have a component-level knowledge of the manufactured product.

How to Compare Costs

comparing different aluminium sheet thicknesses to find the optimal design to cost solution
The price difference between the aluminium brackets when made out of 2mm or 3mm sheets

It’s actually quite easy to do by utilising the capabilities of our  free-to-use manufacturing platform. The combination of manufacturability checks and instant pricing on makes for a great tool for evaluating costs in the design process. You can optimise the part geometry, use of materials, etc. for cost-efficiency based on platform feedback. All of those decisions require a case-by-case evaluation and require the designer to be in the loop with all of the end product requirements but the platform can offer great Design to Cost feedback.

In the picture above, you can see that both of the brackets are made from the same aluminium grade sheets but the difference lies in the thickness. In a lot of cases, products are over-dimensioned and made to endure loads and environments to which they will never be exposed. Using thinner sheet stock can be a great way to cut down on costs but again, the design engineer has to be up to date on all of the functional requirements to do so. These little cost savings really do add up, especially when moving on to high-volume production.

Below, we’re comparing a stainless steel bracket to an aluminium one. The brackets are exposed to the elements in their working environment but they don’t serve a structural role in the assembly. The AW 5754 H22 marine grade aluminium offers excellent corrosion protection but so does making the part from AISI 316 2B stainless steel. AISI 316 2B has better protection against acidic and salty environments than the more common AISI 304. As you can see, the price per piece is cheaper for the parts made out of aluminium and since they do not bear great loads and endure extreme forces, producing the brackets out of aluminium makes more sense.

comparing aluminium and stainless steel brackets from sheet metal to find the optimal design to cost solution
The price difference between aluminium and stainless steel brackets

In addition to the cost information, our platform gives feedback on the manufacturability of parts based on your 3D models, so you can fix any issues to speed up the time to production.

Conclusion

As a part of Design for Excellence, Design to Cost is a great methodology to provide cost models via design decisions. The key benefits of implementing this strategy come from cost reduction and savings at the beginning of the design. As an additional benefit, cost estimations can be achieved with relatively limited information.

It is important to bear in mind that DTC is not a definitive ruleset but a framework that should be adjusted according to requirements and possibilities and the variability between different projects.

Design to Cost can pose multiple challenges during implementation, but these can be overcome with smart and efficient management while making available all the necessary tools and resources for the design team to have an in-depth understanding of its concepts.

As DTC is becoming more prevalent, we can expect future research done in this area which can provide manufacturers with further information to optimise costs and increase system performance.

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Design for Manufacturing and Assembly https://fractory.com/design-for-manufacturing-and-assembly-dfma/ https://fractory.com/design-for-manufacturing-and-assembly-dfma/#respond Mon, 11 Apr 2022 13:52:16 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=13676 In the past few decades, research into design thinking has engendered a new wave of methodologies in product design and manufacturing processes. These methodologies have saved billions in product development […]

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In the past few decades, research into design thinking has engendered a new wave of methodologies in product design and manufacturing processes. These methodologies have saved billions in product development and ensured lower cost, higher competition and greater product reliability.

Among these methodologies, one of the most prominent ones, Design for Excellence (DFX), has since fragmented into smaller focus areas such as Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA), Design for Supply Chain (DFSC) and so on. In DFX, a focus such as cost, quality or ease of manufacturing is chosen and the product’s design is improved in regards to that aspect.

This article will explore the role of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA or DFM/A) in product design. DFMA represents a harmonious combination of Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA), both of which we have discussed in separate articles previously.

What Is Design for Manufacturing and Assembly?

DFMA stands for Design for Manufacturing and Assembly. It is an engineering methodology that focuses on optimising the manufacturing and assembly aspects of a product. Both of these aspects have a high impact on the final product’s quality and cost.

Factors such as raw materials, manufacturing processes, volume, machinery, tooling, precision, number of parts and their complexity, labour and skills, automation potential, etc, are all very influential in product development. By optimising these factors alone, companies can drop the initial cost estimates by over 50%. This is the main intention of implementing DFMA principles.

In DFMA, the product design is continuously modified while keeping certain end goals in mind to arrive at a product that requires less time, money and effort to produce.

The Need for DFMA Methodology

Why do we need DFMA when we already have DFM and DFA? Let us start by reviewing our understanding of each.

Design for Manufacturing is concerned with maximising the manufacturing ease of a product. It employs techniques that make manufacturing faster, cheaper, and easier by improving the design and the manufacturing process.

On the other hand, Design for Assembly works to simplify, shorten and mistake-proof the assembly process. Principles such as poka-yoke, combining and standardising parts are all examples of DFA application.

Both DFM and DFA have similar objectives. They both aim to reduce material requirements, cost and time-to-market. But there are times when the two may work against each other. A net gain from DFM could lead to a net loss in DFA, essentially making the gain worthless.

Let’s take the example of combining parts from DFA “guidebook”. If fewer individual parts lead to a part that is expensive or difficult to manufacture, we gain little benefit from this DFA technique as DFM is affected negatively. Similarly, many DFM guidelines can reduce the effectiveness of a DFA technique.

To avoid such occurrences, it was prudent to look at the two methodologies of DFM and DFA together. This is how DFMA came to be. It uses DFA and DFM in tandem to arrive at an optimum product design. DFMA can help us leverage the advantages of both these methodologies without the disadvantages of either.

Benefits of DFMA

A well-structured DFMA application provides both short-term and long-term advantages. These advantages are indispensable to the creation of a sound product that can beat modern-day competitors. Some of the amazing benefits of DFMA are:

Shorter time to market

Time to market is defined as the duration between the idea generation phase and the introduction of a product to the market. Ideally, you’d want this time to be as short as possible. DFMA significantly reduces the time to market by simplifying the manufacturing processes and the assembly steps.

Lower product development cost

An efficient DFMA at the initial phase reduces the development costs by thinking ahead of time and resolving possible issues that may crop up later.

One of the leading experts on concurrent engineering and Design for Manufacturing, Dr. David Anderson explains that in DFM there is a “Rule of 10” which states that it costs 10 times more to fix defects at every successive stage of assembly. Thus, if rectifying a part defect costs x prior to assembly, it will cost 10x at sub-assembly, 100x at final assembly, 1000x at the distributor stage and 10.000x if the part has reached the customer.

DFMA removes the need for downstream design changes. It also recommends adding provisions for features that the manufacturer may want to add to a product at a later point in time.

Reduced wastage

DFMA aims to eliminate waste from the product and assembly design. It reduces the wastage of materials, motion, inventory and overprocessing. It also minimises defect risks and wait time by eliminating redundant manufacturing and assembly steps and unnecessary features.

Greater product reliability

Due to the high focus on preventing defects and increasing the benefit-cost ratio (BCR), DFMA products naturally become highly reliable and durable. The fewer number of parts in a DFMA-conscious product also helps to reduce the failure rate.

Quality control

DFMA improves communication and teamwork between different teams in a manufacturing setup. A well-coordinated product development effort between designers and manufacturing engineers, for instance, informs both teams about the best practices of each department to reach a certain end goal. This ensures a higher quality product within the allotted budget.

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DFMA Principles

DFMA is a vast methodology and many books have been written on this subject. It consists of a variety of principles. The application at hand is evaluated in light of these principles to create a DFMA-conscious product.

It is crucial that DFMA starts at the concept creation phase. The design stage is the most influential in determining many aspects of the product such as the quality, reliability and final price. Any decisions taken at this stage have far-reaching effects. Some of the common principles in DFMA that can be applied to a wide variety of products are as follows:

Simple design

Keeping the design simple is one of the tenets of design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA). A designer must strive for a clear and efficient product design. Removal of unnecessary features and components must be a priority.

Such a design is usually easier to manufacture and assemble. It also requires lower investment costs and relatively less time to manufacture and repair, if the necessity arises.

A complicated product geometry is unattractive besides being uncomfortable to use. You will find that it is actually more complex to create a simple design than a complex one. Remember the adage “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

Opt for a modular design

A modular design breaks a product down into various modules, each of which performs a certain function. Such modules reduce the number of parts present in a family of products. For instance, a single laptop battery may be used in a number of different laptops. Same goes for other components such as a smartphone camera module. This type of design process has a positive effect on time to market, inventory, cost, customisation, sustainability and the possibility of future upgrades.

Easy and efficient fasteners

Most products require the use of some kind of fasteners and there’s a variety of options available on the market. Many fasteners may appear cheap on paper but their installation can be expensive and time-consuming. Moreover, fasteners can create a bottleneck in a factory’s manufacturing setup, often restricting production volume.

DFMA optimises the fastening process by recommending affordable fasteners that are also easy and cheap to install. Wherever possible, it prefers the use of snap-fit fastening methods. For a stronger bond, rivets can be chosen over screws. Due consideration to fastening methods can reduce manufacturing costs, waste, product weight and space requirements.

Poka-Yoke

foolproofing in design for manufacturing
Poka-yoke in daily life – the plug fits the socket only when oriented correctly

Poka-yoke refers to the use of mistake-proofing techniques to improve the accuracy rates of assembly and manufacturing operations. The intention is to correct errors and defects as close to the source as possible by installing automatic/manual interlocks that prevent incorrect manufacturing and assembly of product parts. These interlocks ensure that a component can only be assembled in the correct orientation. Using asymmetry in product structure is one of the ways to ensure this. However, it must be noted that symmetrical products are easier to manufacture and assemble.

Reduce the number of parts

Reducing the number of parts is one of the most popular techniques in DFMA as in DFM and DFA. There are many advantages to this.

Each part draws from your team’s bandwidth logistically and financially. It will require specific tooling and fixtures. More parts will require more prototypes, manufacturing, individual analysis and assembly steps. It is always a good practice to consolidate part functions wherever possible.

Fewer parts reduce the amount of time required in manufacturing and fastening processes. It also reduces the assembly time and the chances of incorrect assembly.

Use standard parts

Standard parts are readily available, they’re also cheaper and have greater reliability than custom-made parts. DFMA advises preferring the use of standardised components wherever possible.

Be aware of process limitations

Many designers are unaware of suitable manufacturing processes and their capabilities when designing a product. By improving communication between different teams, DFMA ensures that designers make decisions that suit more economical manufacturing methods.

Use suitable tolerances

Tight tolerances can be very difficult to achieve. They require expensive production and measurement methods. Furthermore, parts with tighter tolerances are difficult to assemble. This increases the assembly costs through increased labour costs and scrap rates.

Wherever possible, the tolerances should be as loose as possible to keep the price down while maintaining functionality.

Other DFMA techniques

In addition to the above principles, some other DFMA techniques that improve the manufacturing and assembly ease are:

  • Remove flexible parts

  • Implement automation into the production process or make provisions for future automation potential

  • Make modifications for an easy assembly

  • Give due consideration to how the part will be handled and oriented during assembly and manufacturing operations

  • Design multi-functional parts

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Design for Sustainability https://fractory.com/design-for-sustainability/ https://fractory.com/design-for-sustainability/#respond Wed, 09 Mar 2022 14:29:58 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=13241 Design for Sustainability is an offset of the Design for X (Design for Excellence) philosophy. DFX encompasses a wide range of methodologies to improve product design and manufacturing processes. The […]

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Design for Sustainability is an offset of the Design for X (Design for Excellence) philosophy. DFX encompasses a wide range of methodologies to improve product design and manufacturing processes. The ‘X’ can be substituted to represent a certain aspect that is the central theme to the design and production process.

Typically, product designers select focus, for instance, Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Reliability (DFR), and optimise those aspects of the product. Every design decision is evaluated in the light of the selected focus and relevant changes are then made taking the full life cycle of the product into account. Combining these subcategories can have an even greater effect on the final product, a great example of this is Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA).

In this article, we shall learn about design for sustainability and discuss principles that can take us closer to achieving it.

What Is Design for Sustainability?

Design for Sustainability (also sometimes known as DfS and D4S) is a subset methodology under the DFX family with its main focus on developing sustainable products. Sustainability is the judicious use of natural resources in a way that does not compromise the future generation’s ability to use them.

Sustainability is an enormous topic that converges a wide variety of subjects and philosophies under its wing. All of the sustainability strategies have either one or both of the following objectives:

  1. Use fewer resources

  2. Prefer eco-friendly alternatives

These resources could mean raw materials, processes, systems, distribution methods and anything else that is necessary for a product to exist. If we take a closer look, it is clear that almost all of the resource choices for a product are affected by its design.

In other words, the design stage is the most influential in determining how a product will affect the environment through its raw materials, manufacture, distribution, usage, maintenance and disposal.

In fact, the Sustainable Product Policy by the European Commission states that as much as 80% of a product’s negative impact on the environment is finalised at the design stage. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to evaluate and minimise environmental impacts at the design stage itself. Design for Sustainability helps us to carry out a critical evaluation of all the different aspects and to arrive at an environmentally sound product.

The Need for Sustainable Design

Sustainability in production and in the use of products has become increasingly important in the past few decades. There has been a rise in awareness about the negative impacts of unchecked resource extraction and consumption since the dawn of the industrial revolution.

Such awareness can be attributed majorly to the improvement in measurement methods in recent years. These methods have allowed us to gather irreproachable data on resource depletion and environmental degradation. The numbers indicate that there is a pressing need for sustainable products so that future generations can also enjoy a high quality of life.

Without taking strong measures in favour of sustainability, we will likely run out of natural resources, many species will become extinct and the environment will be damaged irreparably. Consumers can make an environmental impact when preferring socially responsible products to minimise waste and their carbon footprint.

It is not right to shift all the responsibility to the end-user. Manufacturing companies and their designers have to take the responsibility for the environmental effects of their products and work actively on designing more sustainable products.

The Shift Towards a Circular Economy

the circular economy modelTraditionally, the economy has followed a straight-line pattern. Resources are extracted from natural sources. They are then processed and transformed into products and shipped to consumers. After their use, they are sent to disposal sites where, except for precious metals, not much is extracted. Such a system is popularly known as the linear economy. This kind of system is highly unsustainable and needs to change.

A sustainable alternative to this system is the circular economy. The main focus of this type of economic model is to reintroduce used parts as raw materials for new products. The intent is to move from a high-waste to a high-value model. Such a system is highly resource-efficient and reduces the effect of consumer demand on the exploration, pollution, and wastage of natural resources. Models such as biomimicry, cradle-to-cradle, product service systems (PSS), 4Rs, are all strategies that can provide design features to achieve a circular economy.

The 4Rs in particular is a very effective tool in building a circular economy. It includes four principles that can be applied by almost every individual and have an exponential effect. These principles are:

  • Reduce

  • Reuse

  • Repair

  • Recycle

A good design can influence all of the 4Rs of a product. While the first three are somewhat easier to understand, let us see how recycling is gaining more and more traction in recent years. Using components made from recycled raw materials is considered a sustainable sourcing strategy in the circular economy.

Thanks to advances in technology, we are now able to recycle more types of waste in a cheap and effective manner. Materials such as plastic, wood, glass, cardboard, rubber etc, can be recycled into a wide range of products. Rubber tyres, for instance, can be granulated and used in railway ballast, speed breakers, driveways, high-strength concrete and in many other applications.

In addition to big brands such as Apple and Nike, many small businesses and startups are also introducing products manufactured from recycled commodities. These efforts are expediting the world’s journey towards a circular economy. It is important to note though, that the first three Rs have a bigger impact than recycling as they also save the fuel required by recycling machines.

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Design for Sustainability Principles

True sustainability may be impossible to achieve. In such a utopia, human efforts to meet the current generation’s demands would have a beneficial (or at least insignificant) effect on the environment’s capacity to provide them. Such a situation is practically impossible as the manufacture of any product results in loss of materials and energy in the form of material extraction, manufacturing and transportation.

Using appropriate strategies can, however, help us get closer to the concept of true sustainability. Some actionable sustainable design principles that can be implemented to create better designs are:

  • Dematerialisation
  • Modular design
  • Prefer renewable energy
  • Migration to product-service systems
  • Design for longevity
  • Limit or eliminate long-distance outsourcing
  • Invest in simulation

Dematerialisation

Dematerialisation in a design process, as defined by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), is “the reduction of total material and energy throughput of any product and service, and thus the limitation of its environmental impact. This includes reduction of raw materials at the production stage, of energy and material inputs at the use stage, and of waste at the disposal stage.”

There are many ways to achieve this. One way of carrying out dematerialisation is the miniaturisation of the product. This results in greater profit margins as fewer and smaller product components are needed. A product with a smaller form also requires reduced packaging, storage area, transportation and delivery costs and minimises carbon emissions involved in each of the product life stages.

Packaging in particular is a major focal point for many brands. Switching to recyclable materials and for example adopting customised shrink sleeve labels rather than bulkier, more complex containers, ensures that they are aligned with sustainability standards and customer expectations inside and out.

A good example is how smartphones have discarded the original design with a physical keypad or how tablets have replaced laptops in many applications. They have achieved a smaller form over the years and have become more resource-efficient.

Similar efforts have been carried out in the automotive front to achieve higher fuel efficiency. The dematerialisation (or mass-optimisation) of car chassis, engines, brakes, tyres has improved fuel efficiency. Lower fuel consumption has in turn led to reduced emissions and environmental damage. Dematerialisation of machine tools and manufacturing systems is also underway. Further progress in these areas can potentially save several million tonnes of CO2 emissions and steel per year.

The digitalisation of services is another efficient method of dematerialisation. Designers can eliminate features and products that produce waste by creating an alternate way of accessing the same service. Common examples are e-readers for books, newspapers and magazines. Bill and taxes delivery by email instead of postal mail.

Modular design

modular design of the Fairphone
The modular design of Fairphone 3

A modular design refers to the use of components as modules that can be used in multiple products. Modules are predesigned components with a specific function. The advantages include cheaper and easier manufacturing, assembly, replacement, repair and disposal.

For instance, a smartphone can have independent modules for the camera, GPS, power, storage, etc. When a component breaks, the individual module can be replaced instead of the full product. Such a design also provides a higher degree of customisation to the user.

On the sustainability front, modular designs control consumption rates and reduce waste production. Newer features and technology can be added to existing products as the modules can be swapped. A better camera can easily replace the original camera without having to buy a new phone. Many smartphone manufacturers are heading towards this. The Fairphone is a shining example of modular design.

Prefer renewable energy

Many products require constant or periodic energy supply to work. These products, known as active products, keep tapping into active energy systems for their function. Recent years have seen a shift towards electric drives, with the most notable examples coming from the automotive and shipbuilding industries.

Renewable energy can generate sufficient electricity for our needs. Designers must consider incorporating the use of renewable energy as the main or at least as an alternative energy source in their projects to achieve a more sustainable design.

Greater reliance on renewable alternatives, such as wind, solar power and hydroelectricity (instead of petrol, diesel, gas and coal), propel us towards sustainable development while allowing us to maintain similar energy usage levels.

Migration to product-service systems

Product service systems refer to a business model where the company provides services besides the product to improve their environmental performance and sales. In such systems, a company leases its products to the consumer instead of selling them for good.

They offer the function instead of the product. As the company still retains ownership, it can better control the distribution, use, maintenance and disposal of the product. Such a model compels companies to create durable, repurposable, remanufacturable, repairable and easily disposable products.

Traditionally, the responsibility of proper disposal has been left to the consumer. This provided little incentive for the manufacturer to design for efficient disposal. But in a product-service system, this responsibility is shared by the manufacturer and the consumer. This encourages the designers to opt for a sustainable design approach towards the full life cycle of the product, resulting in better resource efficiency and waste management. A great example of this practice is how IBM shifted to renting servers instead of selling units directly to customers.

Car-sharing services are another great example of a smart product-service system where the customers get to experience the benefits of temporary ownership of goods without the burden of actually owning them. Personal cars are the primary cause of problems in urban transport, they take up city space and cause congestion, using alternative transport options such as car-sharing offers many environmental benefits.

An increasing number of such car-sharing services have emerged, providing individuals with access to on-demand transport. Hailing from Estonia, Bolt is a prime example of this type of collaborative consumption model.

Design for longevity

One of the best ways to progress towards the sustainable use of resources is to extend the life of current products as much as possible. Designers have the power to maximise how long a product can be used through its design. Durable products can considerably relieve the pressure on the environment by reducing the amount of raw material and energy required to create new products.

Let’s explain this by taking a smartphone as an example. The results of a Eurobarometer survey (Kantar, 2020) indicated that 69% of users in the EU would like their mobile phones and tablets to last five years or more. But due to a degrading battery, most people are switched to switch their devices roughly after every two years. If designers were to improve the battery performance (or would embrace modularity), it would increase the likelihood of the product achieving its expected life of 5+ years as all other components still work fine at the end of two years.

The initial objective must be to create durable products. Special attention is needed for components that typically have a short life span. They should be able to handle normal wear and tear without breaking down.

For products that require regular maintenance, the ease of which maintenance can be carried out by the end-user is an important factor when ensuring a long service life. Ideally, the task shouldn’t be too complicated or costly. The product should also be easy to dismantle and assemble. Cost and ease of repair are equally important.

Using screws instead of glue and labelling internal components are some practices that can be used for this outcome. Although the use of screws might contradict the principles of some other methodologies from the DFX family (e.g. Design for Assembly suggests designing out the use of fasteners wherever possible). The key to success lies in efficiently combining these different methodologies to arrive at a result which makes sense for the product at hand. In this case, incorporating fasteners into product design might be a reasonable choice.

Another key consideration when designing for longevity is the evaluation of future upgradability and compatibility with past products.

Limit or eliminate long-distance outsourcing

Increasing shipping capacities have made freight more affordable. This has resulted in outsourcing manufacturing operations to countries with lower labour rates. Manufacturing/assembling products in the Pacific Rim countries, such as China, Japan and Korea, is usually cheaper even with the added costs of long-distance transportation.

The effect on the environment, however, is negative since the resources required to manufacture the product are the same either way but now we have added several tonnes of extra emissions due to the intercontinental transport. It is important to prefer local suppliers when designing for sustainability. Besides lowering the environmental impact, eliminating outsourcing would support local industries.

This aligns with Fractory’s principles: when offering laser cutting, CNC machining and other metal fabrication services we’re utilising the capacity and capabilities of regional suppliers.

Invest in simulation

CAD/CAM/CAE software offers great advantages in the product design and manufacturing stages. Today, computers can simulate a large range of products and scenarios, allowing us to customise every single aspect before raw materials even reach the shop floor. With 3D CAD software, we can create complex parts, assemblies and drawings eliminating the need for physical prototypes.

Using CAE (computer-aided engineering) software, we can analyse individual parts as well as entire assemblies for stresses, defects, impact, heat and fluid flow. We can even simulate tooling for manufacturing processes (e.g. forming) and shift things around assembly lines for optimisation.

Traditionally, many trial and error loops would be required to arrive at the most optimal design. But with simulation, all these loops can sometimes be completed in a matter of hours, saving precious resources in terms of raw materials, time and overhead energy costs related to electricity, water etc. It also reduces wastage as only a small number of products are out of spec when the part goes into actual production. Such a production method is, therefore, highly sustainable as well as profitable.

Another advantage of CAD is that it can be coupled easily with manufacturing equipment such as CNC machines, 3D printers etc. 3D printing, in particular, is highly resource-efficient owing to it being an additive manufacturing process. The material is added layer by layer to create a part unlike in a subtractive manufacturing process such as milling. Thus, 3D printing creates zero waste. Such an outcome is beneficial for the manufacturer, the customer and the society at large. Even when 3D printing is not always reasonable for mass production, 3D printed prototypes can always be used in testing procedures such as wind tunnel tests.

Sustainability at Fractory

Fractory aims to guide manufacturing to become more sustainable. Our mission is to streamline the procurement process by eliminating all the unnecessary steps. We’re not only focusing on the environmental aspects but we’re handling sustainability as a wider system that consists of three main pillars:

  1. Environmental sustainability – is the responsibility to conserve natural resources and protect global ecosystems to support health and wellbeing, now and in the future. We aim for more efficient use of the available machinery and filling the production gaps by distributing jobs according to manufacturer availability, lead time, expertise, capabilities. Less material waste is created due to efficient job distribution and transportation miles are decreased by sourcing manufacturing locally, resulting in less CO2 released into the atmosphere.

  2. Economic sustainability – means that decisions are made in the most equitable and fiscally sound way possible while keeping the other aspects of sustainability in mind. We strive to increase the economic sustainability of both customer and supplier businesses by creating an economically attractive cloud manufacturing platform, saving time of our clients and suppliers while also managing their risks regarding product quality, production capacity and transportation.

  3. Social sustainability – is based on the concept that a decision promotes the betterment of society. In general, future generations should have the same or greater quality of life benefits as the current generation do. We strive to help the social cause by investing in education, creating awareness around engineering and manufacturing in general, engaging with the community and sharing our knowledge and resources.

Conclusion

Earth’s resource levels are plummeting at a fast rate, especially in the last few decades. These decades have seen both increased production and product waste. The amount of waste generation has increased manyfold with non-durable goods (products that last less than three years) making up for a greater portion compared to durable products.

For sustainable development, mindless mass consumption and throw-away culture need to be done away with. It will certainly take some time and thought on how to achieve this without damaging the economy. In the meantime, DFS can provide us with ways to ensure reasonable use of our resources and limit environmental degradation to regenerable levels.

An efficient DFS strategy must consider the whole life of the product rather than just the end of it. Due consideration to factors such as packaging can significantly reduce waste levels. Being directionally right is definitely a positive first step but the actual benefits of DFS will be seen only when we get the details right as well.

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Design for Manufacturing https://fractory.com/design-for-manufacturing-dfm/ https://fractory.com/design-for-manufacturing-dfm/#respond Wed, 01 Dec 2021 15:03:27 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=11905 Design for Manufacturing is an emerging design philosophy under the Design for Excellence (DFX) ideology. DFX is a set of relatively new methods for managing design and production processes. These […]

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Design for Manufacturing is an emerging design philosophy under the Design for Excellence (DFX) ideology. DFX is a set of relatively new methods for managing design and production processes. These methods find more and more use in product design today due to their incredible benefits.

From the many methods under DFX, designers choose one or more that are relevant to their product design objectives. Then, by implementing the principles under each of those methods, the designers can ensure an excellent product design.

Design for Manufacturing (also known as Design For Manufacturability or DFM) is often confused with Design for Assembly, but in reality, they are separate methodologies. They can be combined into a single production method though, called Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA). In this article, we’ll be focusing on DFM, so let’s start from the beginning.

What Is DFM?

Design for Manufacturability is a product design ideology that focuses on creating a better design at a lower cost by optimising the selection of materials and manufacturing processes. Following these guidelines, the final product should be easier to manufacture and the production should take less time when compared to the original design.

DFM helps us analyse the different aspects of design and manufacturing processes in the light of many prudent principles. It provides new ideas and techniques to bring about a positive change in product design to benefit all the involved parties (designer, manufacturer and customer).

Such an advanced manufacturing simulation was once a pipe dream due to the lack of available tools and manufacturing processes. This is no longer the case. Today, with advanced digital manufacturing simulation tools and low-cost fast manufacturing processes, such as additive manufacturing, it is easier to carry out extensive simulations and even create physical iterations for specific products.

These tools enable deep DFM modeling and real-world testing at a fraction of the original cost. Thus, an increasing number of manufacturers are integrating DFM into their organizations to reap its many benefits.

DFM Applications

There is a range of reasons why DFM is so invaluable in the competitive markets of the present day. Let’s take a look at how following DFM principles can result in an efficient design and manufacturing setup. With DFM, we can:

  • Build realistic cost models in line with product objectives
  • Minimize manufacturability issues so that the product can be manufactured quicker and in a more economical way
  • Create an efficient design that leaves room for potential design changes in the later stages without a huge cost.
  • Ascertain unnecessary design features that add costs and eliminate them
  • Drive down supplier bids by modifying the design using DFM principles

DFM Principles

In this section, we shall learn about the different avenues on which the designer must focus when creating a DFM-friendly product. Optimising each one of those areas will ensure that the product, as a whole, becomes the very best version of itself. These five focus areas are:

  • Manufacturing process
  • Product design
  • Product material
  • Service environment
  • Testing and compliance with various standards

Manufacturing process

Using the right manufacturing process is critical to the success of the product. One needs to assess several factors such as the cost, product material, volume, surface finish, post-processing needs and tolerances to select the most appropriate manufacturing process for the product. 

For example, choosing injection molding for products that will be produced in small volumes is not sustainable due to the huge upfront investments and overheads. In such cases, one may prefer additive manufacturing or thermoforming processes. These processes enable cheaper manufacturing with fewer parts rather than having to make a huge investment in molds and tools.

It is imperative that the company finalises the manufacturing processes as soon as possible as the remaining four factors are highly dependant on it. The product design may suggest multiple options for manufacturing processes. Each of these choices must be analyzed using DFM principles for an optimum selection. The overall viability must be used as a deciding factor instead of the manufacturing cost. It may be that a manufacturing process has a low production cost compared to another but the overall costs may rack up significantly during distribution etc.

Another aspect that can have a huge impact on the final product cost is the tolerances assigned to the product. Specifying unnecessarily tight tolerances can increase the costs in the form of extra machining time or it might add the need for a secondary machining process. At times, the company may have to change the manufacturing process to meet certain specifications. The designers should set the loosest tolerances possible while meeting the functional requirements of the product. Using such tolerances reduces tooling costs and the number of defects, all while making the product easier to manufacture.

Product design

Product design is probably one of the key factors that has significant implications on the feasibility of the operation. An efficient design can cut down costs and lead times remarkably, sometimes through seemingly minor modifications. However, the opposite can be true as well. A lot can go wrong when designers don’t understand manufacturing. This is why designers need DFM tools to analyse the effects of their design choices on production.

Take the example of a plastic product designed with different wall thicknesses. At first glance, it may seem like a wise decision to cut down on raw material costs wherever possible, as long as the desired strength is not compromised. But when this decision is evaluated in the light of difficulties involved with manufacturing a plastic product with varying thickness, we soon discover that it would be far more feasible to maintain a uniform thickness. This is understood by any engineer worth his salt but may not be so clear to designers that create product prototypes.

Product material

The engineers must select the raw material, its grade and form early on in the product development process. This selection depends on the expectations from the product. Several aspects such as strength, thermal/electrical resistance, surface finish, flammability, opacity and machinability guide the engineers towards the suitable choice. As the material gets harder, its machinability reduces. In addition to choosing the right metal, material grade and form can also have a significant impact on the final part cost.

By form, we mean the shape and size of the raw material before machining. Metals, for instance, can be supplied as plates, bar stocks, strips and sheets. Usually, more than one form can be used but their rates and properties differ. For example, bar stock of aluminium costs about half of the price of an aluminium plate on a weight basis. It is important to evaluate how preferring one raw material form over another affects the grand scheme of things.

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Service environment

One of the steps in an effective DFM process is to evaluate the service environment to create a functional product at low production costs. A product that is supposed to work in a dusty area is not built up to the same specifications as one that will work underwater. DFM suggests aiming for product quality in line with the normal working conditions of the product. The intensity and effect of environmental factors such as rain, snow, wind, salt, moisture and abrasives must be considered during DFM process.

It is important to distinguish between realistic and unrealistic expectations to reduce manufacturing costs. A product that will be used only in dry areas over its lifetime does not need marine-grade specifications. For instance, the 5083 marine-grade aluminium is a must for marine applications due to its superior corrosion resistance properties, but using this grade in environments with a medium-to-low chance of corrosion would not be rational. During DFM, we only consider normal operating conditions to eliminate unnecessary manufacturing costs.

Testing and compliance with various standards

While carrying out DFM, manufacturing engineers must always keep testing and compliance requirements at the back of their minds to prevent any hiccups in later stages. A product that can be manufactured at a fraction of the original cost but cannot pass certifications will never reach the market.

There are various types of standards for certifications. They can be industry standards, third-party standards, or even standards set by the company itself to ensure a quality product. For many products, regulatory agencies may also set the relevant standards. Complying with all of these standards requires the manufacturer to have testing capabilities for all of them.

When following DFM procedures it is recommended to test the product design for compliance before mass production begins. Waiting until the very end of the product development process can bring huge costs and may even require the product to be taken back to the design stage. Where applicable, it is recommended to use non-destructive testing methods since the test piece will still be fully operational and intact even after completing the testing process.

Key Benefits

Any company that invests in DFM will most likely find poor design and manufacturing decisions in their products that could have been easily avoided. Some key benefits of DFM are as follows:

  • Cost reduction (increased profits)
  • Shorter time to market
  • Improved product quality
  • Streamlined product development process
  • Smoother manufacturing process
  • Easier to scale up production

Cost reduction

Design for Manufacturability can significantly reduce production costs. Such a cost-effective operation can in turn improve profitability by increasing the ROI. Alternatively, the manufacturing companies may transfer the benefit of low cost to the customers in a competitive market.

Shorter time to market

As most of the design and manufacturing issues are addressed in the early stages of the design process, fewer issues crop up during the actual manufacturing process. In effect, it is less time-consuming, which improves the time-to-market for a new product.

Improved product quality

Design for manufacturability ensures that the product meets the quality standards set in the design phase. It makes sure that the performance, surface finish, tolerances, reliability, aesthetics, conformance, features, durability, serviceability and perceived quality of the product match the target specifications.

Streamlined product development process

Design for Manufacturing starts with the big picture in mind. It clearly defines the part’s design, final quality, manufacturing processes, component materials, ease of distribution, etc. which leads to an extremely well-managed production process that takes all aspects into account. Thus, designing products using DFM creates a solid plan for product development before the design process even begins.

Smoother manufacturing process

This is the ultimate goal of Design for Manufacturability. Due to in-depth planning of the manufacturing process, the manufacturing companies and/or the contract manufacturer are clear on the deliverables, leading to a smooth production setup. For instance, instead of depending on the manufacturer to calculate the cartesian coordinates for CNC machining, the coordinates for all features can be shown in detail on drawings.

Easier to scale up production

An effective Design for Manufacturability process ensures that when the time comes to increase production levels the manufacturing setup is easy to scale up. Following the guidelines makes sure that the components used in the assembly can be sourced with ease and that the production line is capable of delivering an uninterrupted manufacturing and assembly process even with the increased quantities.

How to Implement

Design for Manufacturing is a great way to save costs while delivering a premium product, but how exactly can companies get started with it? Implementing DFM can be a challenging undertaking for most organisations but it does not necessarily have to be like that. In this section, we shall see how organisations can integrate DFM in three simple stages.

Early integration

Design for Manufacturing DFM
Early DFM implementation allows design changes to be made quickly and at a lower cost

Engineering companies must integrate DFM in the early stages of their design process. This is the best time to work out any redesigns. Making design changes later can be extremely difficult and come with a hefty price tag, especially when different tooling is needed for the new design. Manufacturability evaluations must be carried out in the early stages as thoroughly as possible.

Identify opportunities for DFM techniques

A good DFM evaluation of the current design and manufacturing operations should expose many avenues for improvement. When manufacturing specialists cooperate with designers, they are able to identify wastage in manufacturing and provide suggestions for more efficient and sustainable alternatives.

The specialists can also work with suppliers and understand the constraints which enable them to suggest optimal design decisions to improve the manufacturability of the setup in the early stages Today, as OEMs are increasingly outsourcing manufacturing to faraway locations, such DFM interventions are becoming more and more critical to ensure a profitable system.

Broaden DFM scope

As the manufacturing becomes more efficient over time, the company can turn its attention to other aspects that have an effect on the manufacturability of the product by broadening the scope of DFM. Factors such as product dimensions and weight, tooling costs, scrap reduction, labor costs, overheads, etc. can all be optimised using DFM techniques. These factors affect the product cost structure directly and optimising these areas can improve the overall efficiency of the organization.

DFM vs DFA

DFA stands for Design For Assembly and refers to the optimization of the product itself and the assembly process to reduce cost, effort and time. Let’s see what are the main differences between DFM and DFA.

Focus area

DFM focuses on reducing the required number of manufacturing operations while still meeting the product’s functional requirements. It also aims at reducing the complexity of the operations and using cheaper and readily available materials and processes wherever possible.

For instance, if a hole can be cast, pierced or molded with adequate accuracy, the designers should avoid drilling. Boring is even more expensive than drilling. Thus, when drilling can get the job done, boring must be avoided. The aim is to make production as simple as possible by sourcing and producing parts efficiently.

In Design for Assembly, the designers must always keep the ease of assembly in mind. Simplifying assembly steps will reduce the costs, effort and time put into a product. For instance, reducing the total number of parts in the assembly and designing out fasteners will speed up the assembly process significantly and increase the overall efficiency. Another key factor to avoid problems down the line is to reduce the probability of incorrect assembly by carefully designing individual components so that they can only fit in a specific orientation (mistake-proofing).

DFMA

From the merger of DFM and DFA, a third discipline known as Design For Manufacturing and Assembly was born. When comparing DFM and DFA techniques side by side, there’s a lot that overlaps. Ultimately, the intention of both DFM and DFA is to ease the manufacturing process of a product. Both methodologies benefit from following design guidelines such as:

  • The use of standard components
  • Removal of unnecessary parts and features
  • Incorporating a modular design
  • Designing multi-functional parts
  • Eliminating fasteners

DFMA applies these techniques to a company’s standard production line to create a product that is easy to manufacture and assemble. It may use integrated product development disciplines such as concurrent engineering to bring down costs and improve product reliability.

Conclusion

Over 70% of the product’s final cost is determined during the design stage. Engineers are left with very little wiggle room for cost reduction once the design is settled. DFX allows us to select a focus area for the design so that product objectives can be achieved. Design For Manufacturing in particular helps to achieve design simplicity and reduce manufacturing costs which usually account for the largest portion of investments for a company.

It provides a much-needed edge for engineering companies in today’s competitive market. It is easy to overlook DFM due to the lack of information, but research and case studies have shown that the proper application of DFM principles can guarantee stellar results.

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Design for Assembly https://fractory.com/design-for-assembly-dfa/ https://fractory.com/design-for-assembly-dfa/#respond Tue, 28 Sep 2021 16:29:41 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=11010 Although Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles are often looked at as one subject and combined into Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA), they are separate […]

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Although Design for Assembly (DFA) and Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles are often looked at as one subject and combined into Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA), they are separate methodologies.

Design for Assembly, a part of the Design for X (DFX) family, is the optimisation of the product and the assembly process, while Design for Manufacturing focuses on materials selection and manufacturing processes.

Over 70% of the product’s final cost is determined during the design process and the remaining 30% during manufacturing. Addressing potential issues at those early stages of product development will help you to get it right the first time or at least require less prototyping and fewer product iterations.

What Is Design for Assembly?

Design for Assembly (DFA), simplifies the product’s structure by reducing the number of components and minimising the number of assembly operations required. The aim is to make the manufacturing process easier, faster and more consistent, therefore more productive.

The basic Design for Assembly process involves asking three questions for each part in an assembly:

  1. Does the part have to move relative to other parts in the assembly?
  2. Is the part made of different material for aesthetic or functional reasons?
  3. Does the part have to be separate to guarantee access to other parts or to be able to carry out repair and maintenance?

When answering no to all of the questions above, the part should most likely be combined with another part in the assembly.

Manual & Automated Assembly

Most products are assembled manually and the original DFA methods for manual assembly had an enormous impact on productivity. It was quickly realised that the most important aspect in optimising for Design for Assembly was keeping the number of components to a minimum and removing unnecessary features that do not add to the functionality of the product.

Different forms of guidelines to help designers were proposed in the 60s and 70s, but it wasn’t until the late 1970s that numerical evaluation methods were developed. This made estimating the time and cost difference between manual and automatic assembly easier.

The key principles for both manual and automatic assembly are similar. There are some differences though, since compared to a human, robots are quite limited in their motion range and capabilities. In Design for Automated Assembly (DFAA), a lot of the focus shifts to different tools and grippers that can be fitted onto robots, like vacuum cups, parallel grippers, three-finger grippers and electro-magnets.

Sony Walkman
Sony Walkman used top-down assembly

You should aim to minimise the need for reorientation during assembly with both manual and automated assembly processes, but it is particularly crucial for automation. The success story of Sony Walkman is a good example of assembly automation, incorporating single-axis assembly with only straight down moves (Top-down assembly).

When following Design for Assembly guidelines with more complex assemblies, it might not be always possible to eliminate reorientation completely, but try to bring it to a minimum.

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Design for Assembly (DFA) principles

The main principles of DFA to keep in mind are the following:

  • Minimising part count
  • Modularity
  • Built-in fasteners
  • Part symmetry
  • Mistake-proofing
  • Use of standard parts
  • Use of reasonable tolerances

Considering all these aspects throughout the product development phase will ensure lower overall manufacturing costs, in turn increasing the potential revenue. While DFA may seem very much producer-centric, many of these features will also be appreciated by the end customer.

So let’s dive deeper into each point to establish a common understanding that can help you on the way to build better products.

Minimising part count

The total number of parts in a product is a key indicator of design quality. Good products actually have fewer parts and they usually end up being more durable and easier to manufacture and repair. Keeping your part inventory as low as possible will help to cut down on assembly time and therefore on assembly costs. Less different components will prevent confusion resulting in fewer assembly problems.

But keep in mind that overly complex components might also have an undesired effect on manufacturing costs. When implementing Design for Assembly principles, communication between designers and other departments is the key to determining the most cost-effective alternative.

Rollbar redesign following Design for Assembly principles

Modular design

Incorporating modular assemblies into your production can be one of the biggest time-savers, especially if you have a range of similar products. Modular design also has secondary benefits as they are often easier to repair and customise, in effect increasing their utility and life cycle.

Built-in fasteners

Different types of fasteners, such as screws, rivets and bolts, should always be considered as a target for designing out. Although fasteners are rather inexpensive on their own, the installation process is really time-consuming. In addition, threaded fasteners are known for being the cause of the majority of assembly line defects. 

Incorporate fasteners into product design to speed up the assembly. Built-in fasteners like snap fits and adhesive fasteners often don’t require any special production equipment and make assembling easier.

It might not always be possible to get rid of fasteners completely, but for ease of assembly, try to use a minimal amount of different types and sizes. Ideally, you should aim to use common parts and the same tools not just for the entire assembly, but for the whole product line.

Symmetry

Creating a symmetric design reduces the time needed for reorientation. Make components fit either way around, so the assembly worker does not have to spend time figuring out the correct way to insert a part. If that is not possible, go the other way around and make asymmetry obvious.

Mistake-proofing (Poka-Yoke)

Use poka-yoke principles in the form of physical obstructions to stop components from being fitted wrongly. Even adding a simple notch to your part will make it easier to identify and assemble. Making sure that a part can not be assembled incorrectly will avoid many problems down the line.

Use commercially available standardised parts

Reducing the amount of custom machining and fabrication made in-house and incorporating commercial off the shelf (COTS) products into your product design can save you a lot of time and money. Some examples include motors, gears, springs, enclosures etc.

This will not only reduce assembly costs in manufacturing but also helps to speed up the product design process with fewer parts to focus on.

Keep tolerances realistic

Although with modern mechanical engineering equipment it’s possible to manufacture parts with extremely precise tolerances, it does not mean it’s always necessary.

Precision machining takes more time and drives up the production cost. Having too tight tolerances can cause potential assembly problems, even if the parts end up being just slightly out of specification.

Assembly process considerations

Avoid too small or too large components and provide your parts with features that make it easier to grasp, move, orient and insert them. Using self-aligning and self-locating parts and features in your product design can speed up the assembly significantly. Sometimes adding just a small chamfer or a dimple to your design can make a huge difference.

Be mindful of certain types of elements (springs, cup-shaped objects, etc.) that are known to tangle and jam together. When an assembly worker has to spend time untangling or separating nested parts, it is wasted money and potential.

Conclusion

Combining the different practices of DFX can have a significant impact on the overall costs. Just imagine the accumulated benefits of Design for Manufacturing, Design for Assembly, Design for Cost and Design for Supply Chain.

While keeping all the different “rules” and advice in mind during the design phase might seem like an insurmountable task, most of the principles from DFX align to create a wholesome process. Many of the principles outlined in one overlap with others, as the methodology is universally helpful in many areas of product design.

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Design for Supply Chain Principles Explained https://fractory.com/design-for-supply-chain/ https://fractory.com/design-for-supply-chain/#respond Thu, 15 Jul 2021 13:17:43 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=10758 Design for Supply Chain is a part of the Design for Excellence (DFX) philosophy that focuses on creating designs that improve a certain aspect of a product. Some popular examples […]

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Design for Supply Chain is a part of the Design for Excellence (DFX) philosophy that focuses on creating designs that improve a certain aspect of a product. Some popular examples of DFX categories are Design for Manufacturing (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), Design for Sustainability (DFS), and so on.

In each of these categories, the designers add features and capabilities that improve the final product with respect to a certain attribute, such as the ease of manufacturing, assembly, etc.

Design for Supply Chain is a similar offshoot of DFX. It is one of the most crucial design concepts in today’s market that manufacturers are trying to leverage for great payoffs.

This post aims to explain the benefits of seamless integration of the product design with the supply chain and provide pointers on how companies can harness the same. But let’s start from the beginning.

What Is a Supply Chain?

We can define a supply chain as a sequence of processes in a product’s life cycle, from the procurement of raw materials to the sale of a product. The four main elements are:

  • Procurement
  • Production
  • Storage
  • Distribution

Initial design and development stages determine up to 80% cost of the final product. Aspects such as the amount and lead time of raw material/components, supplier location, standardisation of components, physical features and complexity of a product deserve attention in the initial stages for better operations management.

What Is Supply Chain Management?

Supply chain management is the process of managing goods and services from the initial stages of manufacturing all the way up to providing after-sales services/warranty for a product.

A product’s design may be the very best in the market, but it may have high supply chain management costs due to poor operations management of its various elements. It is therefore prudent to start factoring in decisions for supply chain management as early as possible and make your supply chain more resilient to various challenges it may face.

What Is Design for Supply Chain (DfSC)?

Design for Supply Chain or DfSC is a discipline of DFX that provides practical techniques to optimise a product’s design to integrate it with the supply chain.

Traditionally, operational logistics have always been an afterthought and their design comes much later in the product development process. This is because many companies fail to understand the role of product design in the supply chain.

Why do we need Design for Supply Chain?

Research has shown that decisions taken during the design stage have a considerable effect on agility, customisation strategies, supply chain and product life costs. Smooth collaboration between the product development, manufacturing, marketing, procurement, finance and supply chain management teams can improve the value of a product significantly while reducing overall costs. 

A well-thought-out DfSC strategy can improve responsiveness, supply chain visibility and communication, diminishing product costs, time-to-market and supply chain risks. All these benefits give a company an incredible competitive advantage over its competitors in the global market. Combining DfSC with the optimisation of procurement processes will yield even greater results.

Design for supply chain proposes making changes in the design to improve the overall logistical efficiency of a product.

Design for Supply Chain Principles

DfSC techniques are an efficient tool to create a product that integrates well with the logistics system. While component and manufacturing costs still play an integral role in the total costs of a project, an optimum supply chain will have a major influence.

Thus, we list out different DfSC strategies to bear in mind in the product design phase that will influence the supply chain.

Use standard parts

standard parts

Using standard parts in products instead of proprietary parts is advisable to maintain an uninterrupted supply of said parts. In the event that a supplier cannot complete an order, you can easily find another supplier.

Standard parts are also cheaper as their manufacturing is usually carried out on a larger scale.

Prefer pre-assembled parts

Many times, suppliers are capable of some preliminary assembly on their part. This reduces the assembly time in the company’s manufacturing process. This can be understood with a simple example.

Suppose a product is made of an assembly of three individual components. The manufacturing process design can enable the assembly of two of these parts at a supplier’s warehouse before they are shipped for the final assembly with the third component.

So even if the third part arrives late and you can start the work on the final assembly later, you will have saved time by letting others do part of the work for you.

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Prefer fewer sources

If possible, limit the number of subcontractors used for manufacturing your parts. Commonly, every manufacturer offers a variety of services but does not cover all of the necessary fabrication methods of a project.

If the designer knows about these limitations, he can keep them in mind during the design phase.

For example, if the assembly only requires a single CNC machined part that would be made by another subcontractor (because the one taking care of sheet metal fabrication doesn’t provide machining services), it would be best to at least try to find an alternative design solution.

This way, you can keep the sources minimal, reducing points of contact and limiting the different logistical puzzles while lowering the stress on supply chain capabilities.

Another option is to make the supply chain/outsourcing manager aware of the requirements as early as possible. This means he has plenty of time to find a manufacturing partner to cover all the necessary requirements for the project at hand.

That is also the reason why we at Fractory have partnering suppliers with different capabilities to offer a single point of contact, as it reduces the difficulty of finding the right solutions for each project as well as minimises the strain on supply chain management and supplier relationship management.

Prefer local

If possible, make sure that your supply chain involves as many local manufacturing partners as possible. It doesn’t mean that you should always turn to your neighbour, but outsourcing to other countries for minimising costs can backfire.

This is especially evident today, where Covid and political conflicts have put a great strain on supply chains all over the world, leading to port congestion and numerous other issues, including idle production lines due to shortages of specific materials and parts.”

Of course, the costs may be a lot lower somewhere else. But if you add the shipping costs, lead times (waiting also costs) and involved risks into the equation, it might often turn out that the cheaper face value may be easily surpassed by the quickness and stabile nature of turning to local (or at least in the same country or region).

Control expedited freight costs

Expedited freight, commonly known as hotshot services, are often a major contributor to transportation costs. This cost, however, is controllable through smart product design and supply chain management. Critical parts for a product must be identified, and their lead times must be controlled for an uninterrupted supply.

The designers must also consider what alternate components could be used for manufacturing in the case of a shortage due to increased demand or diminished supply.

To prevent such an occurrence, the company must give the part suppliers sufficient lead times and demand forecasts well in advance. This helps them commit to more accurate delivery plans and avoid the need for expedited freight.

Product development teams must also consider the impact of any design changes on storage and transportation. Sudden, drastic changes that involve heavier components can create part scarcity and freight costs.

Plan for product evolution

Products evolve with time. Product designers must evaluate a product for potential modification in its architecture in the future and ensure these changes are supply chain friendly.

Some examples of such design changes are size variation, fragility, technology update and infrastructure upgrade. All these changes directly affect the logistics system and need careful planning and smooth execution for minimum disturbance to it.

Another helpful design tip to reduce the strain on the supply chain is to transition technology as soon as possible. A long drawn-out transition strategy places an unnecessary burden on the chain to maintain inventory, service levels and supply of older components.

If a technology is approaching end-of-life, strategists recommend proactively phasing out older technology and simultaneously introducing new technology.

Reduce inventory costs

Inventory is the total stock of components needed for product fabrication, assembly, and shipment. Design decisions can affect inventory levels for a product. For example, designing a product with fewer components leads to shorter aggregate lead times.

Reducing lead times enables a company to work with a smaller inventory at a time.

An additional design tip to improve inventory levels is to reconfigure components for alternate use. A small inventory saves money for the company in areas such as maintenance, storage and shipping. It also increases flexibility while reducing waste and obsolescence risk.

Adopting the right supply chain design

Product design teams (PDT) can contribute to the selection of the right supply chain management technique for the product by supplying relevant information and adopting various recommended practices during design.

This selection must be made with the company strategy in mind and not the attributes of each product. For example, whether the manufacturing process design is for high-volume products (>10000/year) or low-volume high-complexity products (10/year to 10000/year).

For high-complexity products, greater customisation needs are customary and the design team determines the number of variants and the extent of each customisation. Due consideration must be given to the ability and feasibility of switching the supply chain type in the future if the need arises.

Cut down on warranty costs

Design teams can eliminate servicing and warranty costs to a large extent by building reliability and other relevant features into the product. These features that improve product quality will be costly to develop, but they will usually offset the much higher warranty costs.

The PDT must strive to build self-diagnostic features that can alert the operator of part or function failure in the product, especially for critical parts with a relatively high failure rate. This minimises the number of service calls as users can troubleshoot more effectively.

Minimising warranty costs means the need to ship and store fewer parts and tools at service centres. The need for a wider distribution network also goes down.

Example of DfSC – The Design of an Aluminium Can

aluminium soda cans

Let us discuss the design of an aluminium soda can to appreciate DfSC better. 

Each year, approximately 180 billion aluminium soda cans move through their distribution network to reach consumers. The most common shape for these cans is that of a cylinder. But it wasn’t always so.

Initially, many different shapes were proposed to store beverages along with the cylindrical shape that is so popular today. Due to the sheer scale of the process, a small change in the product design could multiply exponentially and translate either into big costs or big savings.

The idea of a spherical can was first floated around. A spherical can meant the lowest cost of raw materials, as they have the smallest surface area for a given volume. But they would only have a packing efficiency of 74%. 26% of space would be wasted during transportation and storage, even when spheres were packed as closely as possible.

This would increase logistics cost as fewer cans could be transported and stored at any given time and a greater number of trips would be needed. They would also be less stable and roll right off without much stimulus.

To maximise packing efficiency, the next idea was that of a cuboid soda can. Cuboid cans have a packing efficiency of almost 100% and are hard to tip over, but are difficult to hold and weird to drink from, lowering customer satisfaction. Besides, a cuboid has high-stress concentration at its walls. To overcome this, engineers proposed thicker walls that would increase raw material costs.

Thus, the consensus was to opt for a cylindrical soda can that incorporated the elements of the spherical as well as the cuboidal can. It offered a packing efficiency of 91%, which was much better than that of a sphere, while providing sufficient strength through the circular walls.

Their manufacturing was relatively simple too. Thus, cylindrical soda cans became the standard due to their many advantages in regard to the supply chain.

The above example shows that a design team’s familiarity with the product’s supply chain processes can enable them to create designs that sync better with the supply chain management. While not losing sight of usability and other important features.

Challenges in DfSC Implementation

There are some common challenges that get in the way of efficient application of DfSC in many companies. By proactively addressing these issues, any company can reap the many benefits of DfSC. Let us see what these obstacles are.

Isolation of functions

Product development is largely the domain of product design engineers who work in isolation oblivious to other business functions such as procurement, logistics and marketing, each of which is integral to successful and competitive supply chain management. This is the norm for traditional companies with a “silo mentality”.

What worsens the situation is how the goals of different departments can be contradictory, making it difficult to increase cooperation between them.

Geographical distance of supply chain members

With increased distance and distribution between supply chain partners and their functions, DfSC is difficult to implement in product design.

For example, some of the most popular companies with global markets such as Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Samsung and Canon manufacture their products thousands of miles away in Shenzhen, China. It complicates operations management, effective collaboration between departments, and increases the risk profile of supply chains.

Customer integration

Customer preferences are an important indicator of growing market trends and must be rapidly accounted for in product design through the supply chain.

All the above-mentioned challenges can be hard to overcome with isolation of functions being the most common enemy to tackle before moving on to supply chain optimisation.

Conclusion

There is no second opinion that design has a huge impact on the cost and effectiveness of supply chains. As a result, design and supply chain management teams must come together to produce a product that is built for the selected supply chain.

Sharing information is key. Designers usually have little information about the ideal processes and materials for a product in regard to the proposed supply chain. But this information and more, such as the availability of different components, is already available with the logistics team.

Yet, procurement and supply chain teams often learn about such important product details too late, only when they are asked to procure the materials. 

A cross-functional design process can reduce overall costs by 38% compared to the traditional linear approach. Thus, in order to prevent the negative impact of design on the supply chain, it is crucial that DfSC is opted for.

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Design for X (DFX) Methods https://fractory.com/design-for-x-dfx/ https://fractory.com/design-for-x-dfx/#respond Thu, 17 Jun 2021 10:54:20 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=10684 Albert Einstein once said, “The best design is the simplest one that works.” However, a simple design can be difficult and time-consuming to create. However, putting too little work into […]

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Albert Einstein once said, “The best design is the simplest one that works.” However, a simple design can be difficult and time-consuming to create.

However, putting too little work into engineering a new product can easily backfire in the latter stages of a project. It is more efficient in terms of overall time and money spent to take the time to consider the different aspects of a project before it leaves the drawing room.

This is where design for excellence (aka design for X and DFX) comes in. The term “design for X” first made an appearance at the Keys Conference in 1990 and in the AT&T Technological journal. The papers even suggest that the two authors were not aware of each other, showing that the movement towards the same goal had started independently.

The DFX ideology helps build amazing products without the need for modifications in later stages, as its different areas take many of the most crucial aspects into consideration already in the design phase.

What is Design for X?

Design for excellence is an ever-evolving philosophy of a set of principles in design and manufacturing. It adopts a holistic and systematic approach to design, focusing on all aspects of a product – from concept generation to final delivery.

It provides good practices and design guidelines to ensure we get the design and manufacturing methods right the first time. All this is done before the product even reaches the shop floor.

Traditional Engineering Design vs Design for X

Think of design for X (DFX) as a whole new way to look at engineering design. There are many similarities between design for X and the traditional way of doing things. But the differences are so stark as well.

Having a good idea about how design for X can do so much more than good old engineering design practices will help us understand why more and more companies are taking the leap to design for X.

Conventional Product Development Process

Traditional engineering design follows a sequence from research to testing/improvement of design. A general sequence of engineering design is as follows:

  • Identify a problem by observation, survey, experimentation or a combination of both.
  • Research the problem in detail to gather as much relevant information as possible.
  • Brainstorm possible solutions. Here we make an optimum selection after evaluating the pros and cons of each solution.
  • Create the design and make the necessary calculations.
  • Create a prototype.
  • Carry out testing on various fronts to ensure the prototype can solve the original problem.
  • Improve the product as needed before mass production.

This kind of linear approach can be problematic and costly in many cases, preventing us from achieving the full potential of engineering design.

DFX Process characteristics

The design for X process comes with certain characteristics that make it a better alternative to its traditional counterparts.

Early correction of defects

Issues in the traditional engineering design process are usually identified and rectified after the design phase. Correcting these problems can prove extremely costly in many cases.

DFX shifts the addressing of these issues to an early design stage, which saves money as well as time.

A smaller number of product iterations

It is rare to see a designed product work perfectly the first time. Multiple iterations are needed to perfect a design. But creating these iterations is expensive, especially for plastic products that need custom moulds for injection moulding.

DFX strives to reduce the number of product iterations and try to get the design right the first time. This can be done by creating various virtual designs and carrying simulations instead of physical tests.

In cases where a physical iteration is needed, technologies such as rapid prototyping and generative design may be preferred. For example, instead of using injection moulding, additive manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing can be used to create iterations within a few hours at a low cost.

Requires fewer tools

Traditional engineering design requires the use of many tools. DFX reduces the number of tools needed for design by limiting it to a standard set for increased efficiency. This is one of the areas DFM (design for manufacturing) touches upon.

Broader scope of design

As stated before, the scope of DFX is broader and more inclusive than regular engineering design. By utilising the design principles within the various areas (for example, DFM and DFA), the DFX methodology increases the value while reducing the costs of products.

Inclusive design team

As DFX considers many aspects of product development, the design team’s role is much bigger than one in traditional engineering design. DFX encourages greater collaboration between designers, suppliers, and manufacturers.

Shorter time to market

By increasing communication and reducing rework costs, DFX considerably reduces the time to market for any product.

Some other salient characteristics of DFX that are quite self-explanatory are as follows:

  • Reduced total product development cost
  • Diminished product risk
  • Improved operational efficiency
  • Increased production yield
  • Higher customer satisfaction

Types of DFX

Design for excellence is an all-encompassing philosophy that provides design guidelines for all aspects of a design and production process.

The “X” that stands for excellence can be substituted with a few letters to address a certain sub-section of DFX. These categories include manufacturing (DFM), assembly (DFA), quality (DFQ), supply chain (DFSC), etc.

Designers improve a product’s design in all these areas by implementing certain design principles in the process. The aim is to create a product that excels in these areas by making changes in the proposed design.

Design for X (DFX) has many such focus areas for design improvement. Some of them such as DFM, DFA, and DFMA are more popular than others.

Next, we shall cover some of these focus areas to get a better overall understanding of the design for X concept in different aspects of product development.

Design for Manufacturing (DFM)

Design for manufacturing refers to a design that brings convenience in the manufacturing aspect of product development. At every stage of the design, the ease of manufacturing the product is evaluated.

It is one of the most common and useful designs for X categories as it provides techniques that help us create a better product at a lesser cost. Designers use them to enhance the design of parts, assemblies, and complete products.

For example, a metal product can be made using various fabrication processes. DFM enables designers to choose the right manufacturing and surface treatment methods for the best quality at the lowest prices. Part design then follows the chosen method to secure manufacturability.

Following the initial choice comes cost analysis. If the cost is still high, the above steps are repeated until reaching an optimal solution.

Design for Assembly (DFA)

In design for assembly, designers implement qualities in a product that make it easy to assemble. Fewer, simpler components that can be easily assembled by simple operations are encouraged to eliminate the possibility of mistakes. 

It also provides other advantages such as low maintainability due to fewer parts requiring testing and maintenance. The one question that is repeatedly asked of a design in DFA is “Does a part/component need to be separate from the entire product?”

Possible reasons for needing a part to be separate from the product body are:

  • Functionality demands relative motion between part and product body.
  • The part is made of a different material for functional/aesthetic reasons.
  • The part may need to be disassembled for repair, maintenance, or access to other parts.

In the absence of the above reasons, the part must be combined with another part or with the product body to reduce the part count in the final assembly.

Design for Manufacturing and Assembly (DFMA)

DFMA
DFMA

DFMA is a step ahead of both DFM and DFA. DFM focuses on the fabrication of a product/component, whereas DFA focuses on the product architecture.

DFMA combines both of these disciplines to deliver simpler, more efficient products that are easier to manufacture and assemble. Additional benefits include lower costs, increased reliability, and a shorter time to market. The DFMA design process creates about 40% time savings when compared to a conventional design process.

DFMA can also use the benefits of concurrent engineering. Design and manufacturing teams get together to design a better product than what each of them would have come up with were they to work alone.

Whereas DFM could opt for a combination of laser cutting and bending, DFA principles could prefer CNC machining services to produce more intricate but fewer parts, with less emphasis on the production costs.

DFMA brings the two methods together to create a more holistic view of the product development process while keeping different aspects in mind.

Design for Reliability (DFR)

IEEE defines the reliability of a part as “The ability of a component or system to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time.” The aim of DFR is to build reliability into a product.

This must be done from the earliest stages of the design phase and evaluated at every stage after that. Integration into the entire product development process is a requirement to achieve the best results.

Designers must note that there are no industry standards available to measure reliability, as it varies from part to part. Equally important to knowing reliability testing methods is to know how to accommodate reliability into a product. 

In DFR, designers search for sources of part/product failure and work to eliminate this risk. Where elimination is not possible, they try to delay the failure to a timing equal to or greater than the product lifecycle. Many techniques such as FMEA and FTA help to test and design reliable products.

There are many other tools also available at a reliability engineer’s disposal. It is not necessary to use all the tools for every part but only ones that apply for a certain use case.

Reliability is inversely proportional to the cost of a product. In the quest to increase reliability, product costs can sometimes go well over budget. Thus, there is a need to reach a middle ground to balance both attributes of a product.

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Design for Quality (DFQ)

The quality of a product is an attribute that has a direct impact on the product’s sales. The overall quality of a product is a measure of 8 different properties:

  • Performance
  • Features
  • Reliability
  • Conformance
  • Durability
  • Serviceability
  • Aesthetics
  • Perceived quality

To deliver a good quality product, quality checks must be built into the production system from the very beginning. This reduces quality issues before the product goes into production. Depending on only the final inspections to weed out bad quality products is usually not enough.

A good quality plan is essential to make this happen. It ensures that customers receive the best products without burdening the finances of a company too hard.

Design for Supply Chain (DFSC)

For a long time, the supply chain for a product was always an afterthought. Only after the product design and manufacturing processes were in place, the logistics systems were given a serious thought.

Logistics involves aspects such as packaging/transportation, parallel processing, and modularisation (standardisation) of parts.

DFSC proposes that the supply chain for the product be designed when the product itself is in its initial design phase. This helps us minimise supply chain risks and costs, the need for inventory, lead times and waste.

Design for Testing (DFT)

Testing refers to the quality checks that are carried out on all or a representative sample of a product or its prototype. This is to ensure that they meet predetermined criteria and standards set by the designers.

However, it is not easy to test all products. In many cases, testing consumes a good portion of the project budget, especially if testing methods are put in place after the design and manufacturing aspects have been finalised.

Design for testing refers to building testing methods into the product during the design stage to make it easy and economical to test the various product attributes and functions. The aim is to detect any crucial defects or issues with minimum intervention in the assembly line or during the packaging phase.

Design for Maintenance

This approach focuses on making the product easier to maintain. Both preventive and breakdown maintenance must be given due consideration in design.

Many products can be made easy to maintain by approaching the design process with a few points in mind that improve the maintainability of all products. A way to do this is by building in systems that show the real-time condition of a product. For example, a sight glass to show the oil level of a compressor. The sight glass allows for an engineer to check the oil level regularly and prevent any major breakdown.

Changing spark plugs

Even when a major breakdown occurs, following design for maintenance gives easy access to the parts that could be the most probable culprits. For example, you can easily change spark plugs and the like in cars while accessing motor belts requires considerably more work. Having it vice versa would not make sense as changing plugs is a job that needs to be done with much higher frequency.

Another important feature that improves maintainability is developing a modular product. The ability to order and replace just the failed parts is an attractive feature for any product.

Designers must avoid designs that compel the user to renew large parts when small parts are at fault. For example, in a split AC, if the room temperature sensor is at fault, the design must allow for a quick replacement instead of having to change the PCB along with the sensor.

Design to Cost (DTC)

Design for cost and design to cost (DTC) are a set of DFX cost management techniques to control the cost of product development and manufacturing. The design intent is to create a product considering cost as a design parameter in addition to the schedule, scope and features. 

Generally, product design is responsible for 75% of the cost. Many hidden costs can emerge at a later point in product development such as the cost of redesign, rebuild, time to market delay, retesting, etc. Characteristics such as a simple design, easy assembly, manufacturability, efficient supply chain, reliability, etc. have a direct impact on the product cost.

By considering the overall cost of the product and engineering lower costs into the product from the initial stages of design, unnecessary costs can be prevented.

Design for Sustainability (DFS)

With environmental concerns growing every year in the 21st century, many companies desire for their products to have as small an impact on the environment as possible. This is further motivated by many governments now offering subsidies for green products and consumers actively seeking eco-friendly products.

The focus in DFS is on reducing the carbon footprint of the product by using recyclable materials and green manufacturing ideas for the product as well as its packaging.

DFS is a wide topic with many design rules that deserve a special discussion of their own. Besides the organisation, DFS extends to all the suppliers and manufacturers that contribute to the creation and maintenance of the product.

Design for Product Life Cycle (DFPLC)

A product life cycle refers to the entire life of a product from its introduction to its eventual withdrawal from the market. Design for product lifecycle focuses on increasing the profitability over the entire lifecycle of the product. It proposes methodologies, techniques and processes to make the product easier, cheaper and safer to manufacture, distribute, maintain, use and even dispose of.

Design for product life cycle takes into account potential changes that could be implemented into the product design in the future, cost savings, technology upgrades and infrastructure improvements. The suggested techniques make it easier to implement these changes for a smoother transition with minimal impact on the supply chain.

This is usually done by anticipating changes that are likely to occur and making provisions in the product design to accommodate them in the future. It also sets a limit on how much time would be permitted to complete this transition, as extended transitions can be very expensive.

Conclusion

As of now, industry experts have written extensive papers on 48 different DFX approaches. But the list for DFX is practically infinite. A DFX approach can be designed around any feature that is important to the product and the organisation.

At higher levels, organisations may level up to introduce Design for Six Sigma (DfSS). DfSS contains many design considerations and design guidelines to significantly improve the way an organisation creates products.

The enviable benefits of DFX are realised over the life cycle of the product. Some of these benefits are a simple yet effective design, shorter time to market and a cost-effective product, emphasising the balance between cost and value.

Other benefits may not always be noticeable immediately, but they have the potential to usher in the long-term success of the product. They can greatly impact the competitiveness and market growth of an organisation.

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Topology Optimisation https://fractory.com/topology-optimisation/ https://fractory.com/topology-optimisation/#respond Tue, 03 Nov 2020 15:08:06 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=8302 In recent years, many computer-aided methods have been developed to find the most optimum design for a problem. These intelligent techniques have allowed engineers to create designs that were beyond […]

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In recent years, many computer-aided methods have been developed to find the most optimum design for a problem. These intelligent techniques have allowed engineers to create designs that were beyond what we could come up with manually. One of these methods is topology optimisation.

Topology optimisation (TO) is a computer-based design method used for creating efficient designs today. Fields such as aerospace, civil engineering, bio-chemical and mechanical engineering use this method proactively to create innovative design solutions that will outperform manual designs.

What Is Topology Optimisation?

Metal part in CAD
The starting point

Topology optimisation is a mathematical method used at the concept level of design development. The aim of this method is to spread the amount of material present more effectively over the model. It takes into account the boundaries set by the designer, applied load, and space limitations to create a design.

In simple terms, topology optimisation takes a 3D model and creates a design space. It then removes or displaces material within it to make the design more efficient. While carrying out the material distribution, the objective function does not take aesthetics or the ease of manufacturing into account. 

Topology optimised part
Part after topology optimisation – the placement of holes was determined along with a load

At the very least, the method needs us to provide the magnitude of loading and the constraints within which it should operate. Using this information, the optimisation algorithm creates a possible load path using the minimum amount of material. 

Once a design is finalised, we use additive (and sometimes subtractive) manufacturing methods to produce the part. As the name suggests, in additive manufacturing (here on out referred to as AM), the material is added (e.g. 3D printing) bit by bit until the final model is complete. 

AM is capable of creating complex shapes and structures that may be extremely difficult to create using other methods. This is why we prefer it for creating complex products that emerge after optimisation.

Optimised part for production
Part after final touches for manufacturing

Sometimes, however, the design suggested by topology optimisation is too complex even for AM. In such situations, we make small changes to the design to improve its manufacturability.

How Does It Work?

Topology optimisation is carried out on an already existing model. We can choose to optimise an entire component or elements of it. This area of focus is known as the design space. 

Topology optimisation uses finite element analysis (FEA) to create a simple mesh of the design space. The mesh is analysed for stress distribution and strain energy. This informs the system about the amount of loading the different sections are handling.

While some sections will have optimal material distribution, there will be some that could use trimming. Sections with low strain energy and stress level are marked using the finite element method. Once all the inefficient sections within the design space are identified, the objective function gradually removes the material.

During this trimming process, the system will also check how much the overall structure is affected by the removal process. If the removal process compromises its integrity, the process stops and the material in that region is retained.

Before running the TO algorithm, we set the amount of material we intend to remove as a percentage of the total material. For example, we may set the target material reduction percentage at 50%.

The system removes the excess material in stages. At every stage, it checks the structure for stress levels by reiterating the element distribution until it reaches the target percentage.

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Benefits

Topology optimisation improves upon several challenges at a time. Let’s see what advantages TO has to offer.

Create cost and weight-effective solutions

The most attractive benefit of topology optimisation is its ability to reduce any unnecessary weight. Size optimisation means that less raw material is needed.

Extra weight also negatively impacts energy efficiency. Parts will cost more for shipping as well. All these advantages translate directly into actual cost savings which is important in a competitive market.

A great example is how General Electric used TO to reduce the weight of an engine bracket by 84%. This modification in a small part saved the airlines nearly $31 million dollars by improving the overall energy efficiency.

A faster design process

As design constraints and performance expectations are factored in at the early stages of conception, it does not take as much time as without TO to come up with the final design.

A faster process also means a shorter time-to-market duration which is especially important for new products in a competitive market. 

Sustainability

Topology optimisation prevents undue material wastage. The algorithm is capable of creating sustainable building systems while still being rooted in sound structural logic. Also, as mentioned earlier, topologically optimised products save fuel through weight reduction.

As the demand for sustainable alternatives increases, more and more industries in the manufacturing sector are employing TO due to its environmentally friendly nature.

Disadvantages

There are some topology optimisation problems that we must know about in order to use it effectively. Let us see what they are.

Production limitations

The designs that TO comes up with can be difficult to manufacture. Given that AM is quite flexible in terms of what it can manufacture, it is still necessary to check for manufacturability prior to finalising the design. 

If we try to solve the topology optimisation problem thinking only about the function, it is possible that we may fall short when it comes to our build quality and efficiency.

It is worth noting here that a few software vendors offer a feature called manufacturing constraints for TO. Thus, it is possible to create parts that are only manufacturable using conventional methods.

High cost

Lately, the cost of AM has reduced but it is still a notch above traditional production methods. We need to consider the cost to benefit ratio on a case by case basis. 

For mass production, creating injection moulds is a possibility. Therefore, we can look further than 3D printing for creating plastic parts.

For making a few components on and off, AM could prove expensive which is a deterrent in most cases as the investment is too high. In such cases, it will be more beneficial to outsource the production to a 3D printing service company.

Applications of Topology Optimisation

Many industries are now looking towards advanced design methods like topology optimisation and generative design. Although the production of parts may be costlier, there are important advantages on offer.

Aerospace, medical and automotive industries are some of the ones looking for assist from these mathematical modelling methods.

Aerospace

Air travel is costly. Since the very beginning, attempts have been made to reduce the mass of an aircraft as far as possible without compromising its strength.

Topology optimisation helps analyse aircraft components in detail to chop off unnecessary component mass. This means an aircraft can carry more cargo (or use less fuel) on the same journey.

The same benefits apply to satellites and rockets. This mathematical method helps reduce support structures and create lighter parts while retaining their original strength.

Medical

In the medical field, topology optimisation creates highly efficient implants and prosthetics. Using the algorithm, we can create parts that imitate the bone density and stiffness of the patient. It further takes into account the patient’s anatomy and the designed part’s activity level and the load applied. 

The optimisation improves the part’s endurance limit. Where feasible, the algorithm will replace the solid structure with a lattice. This reduction in weight is a welcomed benefit for implants/prosthetics.

Automotive

Some automobile makers are now using topology optimisation for designing structural (chassis) as well as machinery components. This technology has helped in reducing the mass of the body skeleton while maintaining (and even improving in some cases) the overall strength of the initial product.

Now, in addition to composites and adhesives, steel is finding more applications due to the possibility of creating complex lattice structures using AM.

Manufacturing Methods

Topology shape optimisation can create complex structures that have the best stiffness-to-weight ratio while using minimum material. They may be manufactured using additive as well as subtractive manufacturing processes.

AM does give a large amount of freedom to the designer but where flat products are concerned, advanced subtractive manufacturing methods can create parts with complex geometry just as effectively.

Each method will impose different manufacturing constraints on the topology and geometry of elements and how the production process will go about with its creation. Some excellent methods that can manufacture these innovative solutions are:

3D printing

3D printing has been instrumental in bringing topology optimisation to the limelight. Without additive processes, it is nearly impossible to create complex structures designed by many other optimisation techniques, especially generative design, in addition to TO.

3D printing offers a fast and efficient way to create topologically optimised products with little to no wastage. There are many advantages to 3D printing and very few limitations. Among the limits of 3D printing is that only a handful of metals can be used with it as it was originally designed for plastics.

CNC machining

As the use of topology optimisation became widespread, efforts were made to add features to computer programs that allow traditional production methods to create these components. 

As TO creates hollow structures with support structures of non-uniform thickness, it is difficult to use CNC machining for intricate components. But for models where the visual capacity overlaps with Vmap (Visibility map) completely, the part is manufacturable with CNC. 

Visibility is a concept defined in production to understand the capacity of a particular process to create a certain part. In practical processes, a part is said to be visible if no points on its surface are hidden from the process directions. Needless to say, a 5-axis CNC machine will be able to manufacture products of greater difficulty than a 3-axis CNC machine.

Laser cutting

Laser machining can also work as a production process for topology optimised products. This method is capable of cutting intricate shapes with enviable accuracy.

Laser cutting can be used on several different materials (metals, wood, acrylic, MDF) making it more useful when subtractive manufacturing is possible for a TO part.

Topology Optimisation Software

There are over 30 software products available in the market for topology optimisation which come with their own tradeoffs. Some programs are more popular than others for their holistic approach to the technique. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Ansys Mechanical

<yoastmark class='yoast-text-mark'>Ansys topology optimisation</yoastmark>
Ansys topology optimisation

Ansys creates design solutions for multiphysics engineering simulation. The Ansys Mechanical software comes preloaded with structural topology optimization features. This program can analyse and optimise simple as well as complex design spaces and make corrections where needed.

It comes with features such as:

  • Modal analysis of multiple static loads. 
  • Control options for setting minimum material thickness. 
  • Ability to work with planar and cyclic symmetry. 
  • Easy validation of results.

Altair Inspire

Altiar Inspire
Altiar Inspire

Altair’s Inspire is a powerful tool when it comes to topology optimisation. It also features added capabilities such as generative design and rapid prototyping.

The program is easy to master and provides important features such as:

  • Capable of generating mixed support structures having solid as well as lattice geometry. These files can be observed in 3D and can be sent directly to a 3D printer for production. 
  • Ability to interact and assign new loads to the structure besides being capable of running predetermined loads that can be imported/exported for analysis.
  • Ability to reduce overhangs to encourage more self-supported structures. 

Solidworks

<yoastmark class='yoast-text-mark'>Solidworks</yoastmark> TO
Solidworks TO

Solidworks added topology optimisation features in its 2018 update. This is a widely used computer program for CAD applications and the introduction of TO has been quite smooth and efficient.

Solidworks also uses the subtractive method where it chisels away material to reduce mass and improve stress distribution.

The distinct features of the Solidworks TO module are as follows:

  • Ability to bring optimized designs into a CAD environment using multiple methods.
  • The availability of various partner products.

Conclusion

Advances in AM have enabled us to create extremely complex shapes with relative ease. To take full advantage of these leaps in production capabilities, we need technologies like topology optimisation.

TO is great at optimising designed solutions. Sometimes, it can feel a bit out of control especially if you are still learning the ropes. However, there are many factors that can be controlled to shift the model toward a more favourable outcome.

Some of these controls include restricting member size in design space, demanding symmetry about planes, or extrudability of the final model. You can also manipulate the material removal percentage to control the alacrity the algorithm will optimise the part with.

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Generative Design – the Future of Engineering? https://fractory.com/generative-design/ https://fractory.com/generative-design/#respond Thu, 15 Oct 2020 12:52:03 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=8096 The image above depicts a drone frame created using generative design. This helps to reduce the weight of the structure by minimising material use while conforming to the engineering inputs. […]

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The image above depicts a drone frame created using generative design. This helps to reduce the weight of the structure by minimising material use while conforming to the engineering inputs.

So, what is generative design?

It is an iterative method for designing new products using the help of CAD software features. These features automatically create a large number of design possibilities when specific data is provided as input. The inputs form the constraints within which the design should perform.

These designs are not invented by AI. They are actually human designs that are refined using artificial intelligence and machine learning.

For example, if we need to create possible designs for a dining table, we need to provide data such as the length, breadth, and height we expect it to be and the load we need it to support.

The generative design program will create a large number of iterations for us which we can fine-tune further as per our preferences. Each iteration can have hundreds of designs within it.

Design Process Using Generative Design

Generative design is gradually transforming the design sector. It helps the designer generate thousands of possible design solutions which would take months to accomplish manually.

Generative Design Principles
Generative Design Principles

There are six common steps to be followed when it comes to creating the perfect design using the various generative design software available in the market today. The six steps are:

Step 1: Problem Definition

In this stage, the project at hand is defined roughly and objectives are laid down. A clear idea of the attributes of the final product is established between the designer and the client by asking questions such as:

  • What are we designing?
  • What must/must not be present in the final design?
  • What are the design parameters and their range?
  • What conditions would decide if the project is a success or a failure?

The questionnaire for the design problem must be as exhaustive and the answers as accurate as possible to generate the most relevant design. This step is extremely important for the generative design process as the program will not consider goals that we do not describe when generating models.

Step 2: Data Collection and Entry

Once we have established the problem definition, it is time to move on to collecting the data that the program needs to create our model. This data is collected in at least 2 main phases.

In the first phase, we collect the data needed for model generation and in the second phase, we define the parameters that will be used to evaluate our model.

When it comes to data for model generation, we define both project requirements and as well as constraints. For model evaluation, we define parameters to measure and analyse the model. Defining evaluation data helps the program optimise our solutions. Insufficiently defined data will provide us with many irrelevant solutions besides the relevant ones.

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Step 3: Model Generation

Post data entry, we move into the model generation phase. When executed, the program will generate possible solutions that are in line with our defined requirements and constraints.

The generated models are separated into different groups called iterations. Each iteration can contain hundreds of design alternatives.

Step 4: Model Evaluation

Once we have the model ready, the created iterations are checked against initially defined evaluation parameters. The generated designs are also ranked according to how close they are to our requirements.

For example, if we defined the product as a table that has the maximum surface area with the least amount of material, the solution with the maximum surface area will rank higher compared to the ones with less than the maximum surface area. This ranking helps us filter the hundreds of generated designs based on what matters more to us from the defined parameters.

We could select, for example, the cost as our primary filter, and the software would arrange the iterations based on how much they would cost in an increasing/decreasing order.

It is, therefore, recommended to add as many evaluation parameters as possible at the beginning. This may sound counterintuitive as it may limit the number of generated solutions but the generated designs will be much closer to our actual expectations and easier to choose from.

Step 5: Model Evolution

In the model evolution stage, we narrow down our generated design options to filter out non-ideal solutions.

The software sorts through the iterations to choose the most relevant ones and bases new designs on them. The search metrics may have to be customised to find the best design for our needs.

Step 6: Model Selection and Further Refinement

Generative design shelf bracket
A shelf bracket made using generative design

Once we have selected the few designs that are most relevant to us from the design options presented by the software, it is time to further refine them.

Using the same software, the designer makes manual improvements to the top picks. The final design must meet all the predefined criteria and then we can get the client’s approval to complete the design process.

Suitable Manufacturing Methods

While generative design is still not as common as it should be, many popular CAD software have already added this amazing feature.

The iterative designs are usually pretty complex. Still, it is possible to choose the preferred production method during the design phase, so the software will take this into account when generating the possibilities.

So let’s look at the different methods available to create these parts that often come with a multitude of cutouts to optimise the weight.

Casting

Casting is one way to create quite complex shapes as one part, without any welding. So it fits the bill pretty well here.

The cast itself could, for example, be 3D printed depending on the printing as well as the part material. Depending of the casting method used, the cast part may need some post-processing if the surface quality requirements are high.

Also, this method can be paired with machining to arrive at the desirable final design.

Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing usually refers to 3D printing processes. These methods build up the part layer by layer, allowing extreme flexibility for the part design. Which makes it the most appropriate process to select for manufacturing parts created by generative design.

Most printers are able to process plastics but 3D metal printers are a little less common. This is also one of the key reasons why generative design has not picked up in popularity as quickly as some projections said.

Some common additive manufacturing methods are VAT photopolymerisation, material extrusion, binder jetting, sheet lamination, powder fusion, directed energy deposition, and material jetting. You can learn more about them all in our article on rapid prototyping methods.

Injection Moulding

Injection moulding is a great way for large-scale production of plastic parts. The production is quick and achieves a high degree of similarity between parts.

A wide variety of plastic and polymer materials are available for selection and you can use fillers to further increase the strength.

The finishing has high accuracy levels which means that no post-processing is necessary.

CNC Machining

Precision CNC machining can create very complex parts. 5-axis machining capabilities are flexible and able to twist and turn according to the code instructions.

Both milling and turning can create highly accurate parts and adhere to precise surface finish requirements. The tolerances for CNC machining are famously tight, even when looking at general ones outlined in the ISO 2768 standard.

Generative Design Software

Generative design is not a CAD application. It is an adjunct to it. As such, the most popular CAD software can incorporate this feature in their existing design solutions to cater to the design industry’s needs. Some of the most common generative design programs are:

Fusion 360 (Autodesk)

Autodesk Generative Design
Autodesk Generative Design

This program is a great option for technical design projects. Its salient qualities are its excellent assembly features and parametric design.

The fact that Fusion 360 is free for a year has helped build a huge community of users making it an extremely well-known software in design, fabrication, and manufacturing circles.

The Autodesk generative design feature can be paired with all the above-mentioned manufacturing methods.

Siemens NX

Siemens NX Generative Design
Siemens NX Generative Design

Siemens NX software is a world-class tool that incorporates generative design features. Even though it has a large number of features, the program can be mastered in a short time.

It is a well-integrated product life cycle management software capable of managing the design and creating standard workflows. The cost of use per person is quite high which limits the use of this software to the enterprise level only.

PTC’s Creo

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Creo Generative Design
Creo Generative Design

The Creo generative design architecture by PTC delivers innovative solutions using traditional as well as additive manufacturing methods. Generative design is fully integrated into Creo so there are no disconnected processes and no need to recreate data.

Creo is an easy-to-use, interactive, parametrically driven program. Creo also harnesses the power of the cloud to simultaneously explore dozens or even hundreds of material and production scenarios with top options highlighted for the user.

Advantages of Generative Design

Saves Time

One of the most important advantages that a company seeks when mulling over the introduction of new technology is the conservation of time. The amount of time saved directly translates to higher profits as designers/engineers can be freed up to attend to other tasks.

The use of generative design saves a minimum of 20 percent when it comes to project duration. This reduces the time-to-market for new products which can be the difference between success and failure.

More Creative Options

While designers are known to have excellent imaginations, they are prone to biases. The way they have worked in the past influences their future decisions when it comes to modelling.

Generative design introduces them to new shapes and sizes that they could not have come up with themselves. These shapes and sizes are generally more efficient at accomplishing the product’s intended task, as decision-making is solely based on input data.

Parts Consolidation

An important benefit of this technology is the ability to consolidate parts. A generative design program can create complex parts that can easily replace multiple single parts.

Through additive manufacturing processes, these parts with complex geometry can be manufactured with ease. This ultimately reduces the number of parts in the assembly.

It also simplifies the supply chain and maintenance while reducing the cost of production.

Lightweighting

The weight of parts can be especially important in automotive and aerospace applications, as the total mass of a structure has a significant impact on, for example, the steering of a vehicle and its fuel consumption.

Generative design can be used to reduce weight in places previously neglected to achieve innovative lightweighting. This is an important reason generative design has been adopted eagerly in the aerospace and automobile industries.

Reduces Cost Overruns and Waste

While traditional methods such as topology optimisation can also reduce cost overruns and waste, they only provide us with one solution.

Generative design, on the other hand, provides us with a long list of possible models all of which would be within our specified budget with minimal wastage.

Elimination of Weak Design Areas

Compared to traditional methods, it is easier to spot highly stressed or comparatively weak sections in a model with generative design.

Machine learning features enable the software to learn from experience and the design quality improves with time.

Disadvantages of Generative Design

Early in Development

While the concept of automated design is an excellent one, the technology available today is still primitive. Better algorithms need to be written to create more meaningful models that can be used without much manual intervention.

The technology keeps improving over time with new updates constantly bringing in more features and capabilities.

High-Skilled Labour

This design technology can create excellent models for simple objects but as we move on to more complex parts, extensive knowledge of the software and its backend working is required to save time and effort.

The designer must be capable of using ML and AI to his advantage or the created models may not be as good as they can be. This means more knowledge and experience is necessary to churn out relevant design products in a short amount of time.

Too Many Choices

While this may seem counterintuitive, having a wide variety of choices is not always desirable. An unreasonably large number of choices can easily overwhelm the architect and in some cases, actually require more time to handle than creating a manual design from scratch.

This problem, though, gets better over time as the program learns how to sort the options, using previous data about the final solution selection.

Fear for Human Jobs

There is an underlying concern among the designers and architect community that this technology will reduce the number of opportunities for architects and designers.

While this fear is not completely unfounded, the promoters of this technology believe that the designers only need to expand their skillset to adopt this technology. They also hold the firm conviction that the technology will only be a tool in the designer’s toolbox and will not affect the job market.

As a side note, we at Fractory firmly believe that industrial automation is the friend of engineers for creating better designs at lower costs and quicker rates.

High Upfront Costs

Generative design capabilities can be added to existing CAD programs that the company is currently using. Despite this obvious advantage, the technology is still costly when used for commercial purposes.

These programs depend on how many designers will be working on the system at a time and thus, for large organisations, the initial investment can be quite heavy and a major deterrent to its introduction.

Conclusion

Generative design technology is a culmination of the awesome power of AI, ML, and a designer’s talent. With the advent of high processing power and advanced scripting capabilities, this technology is surpassing its original constraints to give us amazing designs.

The generated products are capable of following every specified requirement and constraint to provide us with truly innovative CAD models perfect for our needs.

Today, there are still only a few industries that can actually benefit by lowering their overall costs. For example, Airbus shaved off 45% (30 kg) of the weight of a single part. The fuel consumption decrease equalled to removing 96,000 cars off the road for a year.

The development and spread of generative design has to go hand-in-hand with the availability of additive manufacturing. Although the real potential will be unveiled in the future, we can see the first strides in the right direction.

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Generating Concepts for Product Design https://fractory.com/product-design-concept-generation/ https://fractory.com/product-design-concept-generation/#respond Wed, 10 Jun 2020 12:26:34 +0000 https://fractory.com/?p=6636 Engineering a great product comprises of many steps. From idea generation to actual production, you have to look for the best solution at every stage. In this article, we will […]

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Engineering a great product comprises of many steps. From idea generation to actual production, you have to look for the best solution at every stage. In this article, we will focus on the first of them – concept generation.

What Is Concept Generation?

Product concept generation is a process that starts with a list of parameters set by the customer regarding his needs and specifications. Based on the requirements, concept generation helps to pinpoint a variety of possible solutions and ideas that answer those needs.

Many engineering companies tend to overlook this phase because it may seem like a waste of time. It’s easier to run away with the first idea and start the design process.

However, looking at the problem from different angles can result in concepts that you may not have come up with without some deep thinking. Hence, it is a crucial part of the product development process.

Concept generation for product planning may be viewed as a similarly effective and forward-thinking mechanism as lean manufacturing is for production and concurrent engineering for the whole product development process. A systematic approach to the different sides of a product journey pays dividends at the end.

Steps for Creating Concepts

The conceptualisation phase itself is a step in the larger engineering process, which goes like this:

  • Identifying customer needs
  • Defining the problem and objectives
  • Concept generation
  • Drafting and analysis
  • Detailed design and drawings
  • Creating a prototype
  • Testing
  • Final delivery

Of course, the practical engineer in you probably says you usually lack the time and resources to touch half of those points. If your client is after a one-off machine, you probably do not have the money to create a full-scale prototype for rigorous testing.

This, however, does not mean that you should skip everything other than customer needs, engineering drawings and manufacturing. It only means that you are probably more restricted when it comes to trying out wholly new ideas because you cannot test if they actually work out as planned.

Even if you have to stay on the safer side, going through the concept process is of help when looking to provide the best possible solution to answer the need. So let’s take a look at what it entails.

Product concept generation steps are as follows:

  • Understanding the problem
  • Researching established solutions
  • Brainstorming & ideation
  • Assessing the ideas & solutions
  • Picking the winner & start working on it

Step 1 – Understanding the Problem

The first step is the basis for all the next ones. Not managing to get this one right will render the whole development process futile.

Bear in mind that you are the engineer and the customer may not always know what kind of information is actually necessary. They may have a vision for a solution which ignores many important details.

Thus, you have to be really methodical at this stage. Visit the site (e.g. production facilities), ask about the project goals, who must benefit and how, what are the requirements for the design, etc.

All this contributes a great deal in the next steps. You will know what questions to ask yourself before putting anything to paper (or CAD).

Step 2 – Researching Established Solutions

Before getting to generating your own designs, expose yourself to the available information. Researching solutions for the same and similar problems is a great way to kickstart the product development process.

Googling product ideas
Google’s answers for “wood chopping machine”

Your best friend at this step is Google, for sure. You can also find other great sources like GrabCAD from our list of best sites for mechanical engineers. Look up everything and anything related to your problem.

There is a reason, however, why the customer is turning to you. Maybe he didn’t find what he was looking for, although it exists. Maybe he needs a customised solution. Maybe there is nothing available on the market that could satisfy the requirements.

Whatever the answer, there will be solutions similar enough. Exposing yourself to them is necessary before going on to the next stage.

Maybe your customer needs a solution for opening doors softly so the wind couldn’t blow it wide open with a bang. And nothing like that exists. Go on doing the research about mechanisms for closing doors softly. You may find a lot of inspiration if you do not limit yourself too narrowly.

That is also why seasoned engineers are so valuable. Even if they have not worked on a project with a similar scope, bringing in the experience from a variety of different projects will help immensely. Implementing an idea that answers a similar problem may need some adjusting, but it’s a good start.

Step 3 – Brainstorming and Ideation

Now we get to put the research phase behind us to move on to the creative side of the design process. As we outlined in our tips for engineers article, we always advise generating at least 3 solutions to choose from.

Of course, on your way to these options, you will come up with a lot more ideas. But the 3 that pass the initial judgment will go into more detail. This includes the use of manufacturing technology, an in-depth analysis of the most difficult sub-assemblies, etc. We’ll get to that in Step 4.

Techniques for Producing Concepts

Engineers are famous for their ability to think critically. We are also notorious for the ability to shoot down ideas that do not make sense from the start.

When looking to create a new concept for a product, the latter quality is not really useful. At least not at this stage. It is better to switch off the critical thinking part when looking to come up with a variety of ideas. Using modern AI tools like image generators can be a big help in developing new visual concepts, offering lots of inspiration and a wide range of possibilities.

Although the ideas you will include a lot of rubbish, even the worst ones may contribute to the final concept in one way or another. A single design element stemming from a horrible initial idea is still very valuable.

The most important part is to make sure your imagination can flow freely. It is a skill that requires development, for sure. A great resource for finding ways to develop that skill is Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko.

Here, we are going to outline the most common strategies to come up with some ideas.

Brainstorming

Brainstorming session

Let’s start with the most famous one of them all – brainstorming. This is a group exercise that is based on two premises – quantity breeds quality and deferring judgment.

The optimal size for a group is between 5-10 people and there should be a designated group leader. A session can last anywhere from fifteen minutes to an hour and there is one goal only – to come up with a lot of ideas. Of course, first, you need to lay out the problem details you pinpointed in the first step.

Everyone will have to work together to continue developing each other’s ideas. A good practice to follow is answering an idea with “Yes, and…” rather than “Yes, but…”. This will set the tone for the whole process.

The group leader can change the subject once a single idea has been followed through and rapid progress wanes down.

An important aspect here is that the brainstorming session can, and maybe should, include people from outside the circle of design engineers. These people can bring in a fresh view without much of the restricting logic. Big companies often have this type of people on the team who will never make the next step with the project. Their goal is to contribute solely at this stage.

It is the product development team’s task to later assess these ideas and choose whether using them in the concept is realistic or not.

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Reverse Brainstorming

This is a combination of brainstorming and a technique called reversing. Engineering questions tend to be something like “How can I solve this problem?” and “How could I make this work?”. Reversing means asking “How can I make this problem worse?” and “How could I break it?”.

This gives a whole new perspective which can lead to great results.

Once you have created a set of reverse questions, you can start solving them. If your brainstorming buddies come up with ingenious ideas for breaking things, they may stumble upon something that is also actually useful for preventing this from happening.

You do not have to limit yourself to asking questions only, though. Statements about the “common understanding” work just as well.

One of the more famous examples from the Thinkertoys book is attributed to Alfred Sloan who reversed the idea that a person must first buy a car before he can drive it. The reversal meant that you could buy it while driving the car, hence coming up with the idea for instalment buying.

Mind Maps

engineering mind map

Mind mapping is a great tool for someone who likes organised thinking. Someone like… an engineer.

You can take your main problem as the central word and write it down on paper. Then you just start writing down everything that relates to this word. And do the same, in turn, for those newly written-down words.

At last, you end up with a mind map with a lot of branches.

When creating a new product for your client, you can also start with the central word just being “the product” and add the requirements as the first branches – safety, ease of use, quickness, etc. When you add terms that relate to these qualities, you may well come up with a concept that covers all the necessary functions.

Just beware of the possibility of creating a feature shock. A single item does not always have to resolve all the issues in the world if it makes using it more complicated. Or results in a hideous design.

6-3-5 Method

Another team effort that requires 6 people. Each writes down 3 ideas over a 5-minute period. Now you know what the numbers stand for.

First, each individual writes down 3 ideas for a solution. Again, the problem has to be clearly defined from the start.

Next, they pass their paper along to the person sitting next to them. He can then further develop these ideas or add new ones based on the ideas he sees. Seeing another person’s perspective can be a strong ignitor of a wholly new concept.

The same process will be done until each person gets their original paper back after a full circle. And now you have 108 ideas in total. Yes, some of them are very raw and partial. But you just spent less than an hour (including setting up the meeting and explaining what is going to happen) to generate a wide range of concepts for your product.

Lateral Thinking vs Vertical Thinking

Lateral vs vertical thinking

Lateral thinking is definitely one of the most important elements of product design concept generation. Although we have already addressed it in principle, it will not hurt to lay it out.

Lateral thinking refers to a broad search for a large number of possibilities and ideas. The aim is to avoid going in-depth with any of this or even passing judgment. Sure, passing the opportunity to make a joke about your colleague’s lack of intelligence may be tough to resist, but do your best.

Vertical thinking is the opposite, whereby you analyse one solution in-depth for its pros and cons. As this is part of an engineer’s nature, resisting temptation needs some discipline and willpower.

But if you succeed at that, you will get the opportunity to do just that in the next stage.

Step 4 – Assessing the Ideas and Solutions

Now you have a wide range of different proposals on the table. Sure, most of them cannot solve your problem. But out of the plethora of ideas, there must be some good ones. How to sift through them all?

Now is the time to bring logic back into action. A sigh of relief – finally!

First, go over the ideas and choose a few that look like great candidates – 3 to 5 concepts would be great.

product sketch for concept visualisation

Secondly, do some sketching for the select few. Besides being just illustrations, sketching can bring out the pros and cons of many of these ideas. Also, turn your attention to the more difficult aspects of each concept and try to come up with a general idea of how to solve them. This will help to assess many of the crucial points here.

Next, build up an assessment form or scoring matrix. It can include everything that is necessary for this project. Every idea gets a rating which is weighed. The scoring points can include manufacturing cost, manufacturability, time to design, efficiency, durability, aesthetics, etc.

Maybe cost is the most important aspect, so give it a weight of 1 while aesthetics is a nice-to-have and comes with a weight of 0.25. After scoring each aspect on the same scale (e.g. 10 points max), you get your winning concept.

Step 5 – Pick the Winner and Start Working on It

So here you have it – the winning concept. Now it’s time to start the process of product development. Next comes specific design selection. There, you can also make use of powerful CAD software features like generative design to aid in the process of creating highly optimised designs.

During that phase, you should also know the material or at least the material class because it determines the thicknesses and overall geometry of the part. Last but not least comes the making of production drawings. Unless you can manufacture your parts straight from 3D files.

Engineering is all about problem-solving. The customer has a need for something and he turned to you to get it solved. Doing your best entails putting it all out at every stage of the process.

Sure, time restrictions can breathe down your neck but the initial phase for finding ideas does not take that long actually. Finding the right one, though, will help to dramatically diminish the time spent in the next phases as well as overall costs.

And if you really are in a hurry, remember that generating two ideas is still better than one.

Now, armed with a few techniques, let’s start making better products!

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