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MSD606
PRODUCT DESIGN
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Product Design and Development
Chapter Table of Contents
1.Introduction
2.Development Processes and Organizations
3. Product Planning
4.Identifying Customer Needs
5.Product Specifications
6.Concept Generation7.Concept Selection
8. Concept Testing
9.Product Architecture
10. Industrial Design
11.Design for Manufacturing12.Prototyping
13.Product Development Economics
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Concept Development Process
Identify
Customer
Needs
Establish
Target
Specifications
Generate
Product
Concepts
Select
Product
Concept(s)
Test
Product
Concept(s)
Set
Final
Specifications
Plan
Downstream
Development
Mission
StatementDevelopment
Plan
Perform Economic Analysis
Benchmark Competitive Products
Build and Test Models and Prototypes
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The president of a tool manufacturing company
commissioned a team to develop a new hand-held nailer
for the high-end consumer market. One of the several
currently available pneumatic tools for the professionalmarket is shown in Figure 1. The mission of the team was
to consider broadly alternative product concepts,
assuming only that the tool would employ conventional
nails as the basic fastening technology. After identifying a
set of customer needs and establishing target product
specification, the team faced the following questions:
What existing solution concepts, if any, could be successfully adapted for `
this application?
What new concepts might satisfy the established needs and specifications?
What methods can be used to facilitate the concept generation process?
A
product concept is an approximate description of the technology, working
principle, and form of the product. It is concise description of how the product will
satisfy the customer needs. A concept is usually expressed as a sketch or as a
rough 3- dimensional model and is often accompanied by a brief textual description.
The underlying goal of concept generation is to develop as many ideas as
possible.
Power Nailer
Case Study
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1. Clarify the Problem: Understand the problem and decompose it into simpler
sub problems.
2. Search Externally: Gather information from lead users, experts, patents,published literature, and related products.
3. Search Internally: Use individual and group methods to retrieve and adapt theknowledge of the team.
4. Explore Systematically: Use classification trees to organize team thinkingand synthesize solution fragments.
5. Reflect on the Solutions & the Process: Identify opportunities forimprovement in subsequent iterations or future projects.
Five steps to concept generation:
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1. Clarify the Problem
Understanding
Problem Decomposition
Focus on Critical Solutions
2. Search Externally
Lead Users
Experts
Patents
LiteratureBenchmarking
3. Search Internally
Individual
Group
4. Explore Systematically
Classification Tree
5. Reflect on the Solutions and the Process
Constructive Feedback
Sub-Problems
Existing Concepts
New Concepts
Integrated Solutions
Five steps to concept generation
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Clarifying the problem consists of developing a general understanding and then
breaking the problem down into sub problems.
The mission statement for the project and the customer needs list, are the ideal inputs to the
concept generation process.
The assumptions in mission statement are:
The nailer will use nails (as opposed to adhesives, screws, etc.).
The nailer will be compatible with nail magazines on existing tools.
The nailer will be hand held.
Based on the assumptions, the team had identified the customer needs for a hand-held nailer.
These include:
The nailer insert nails in rapid succession.
The nailer is lightweight.
Step 1. Clarify the problem
These basic needs were subsequently translated into target product specifications. The target
specifications included the following:
Nail lengths from 50 millimeters to 75millimeters. Maximum nailing energy of 80 joules per nail.
Nailing forces of up to 2000 newtons.
Peak nailing rate of one nail per second.
Average nailing rate of four nails per minute.
Ability to inert nails between standard stud/joists (368 millimeter opening).
Tool mass less than 4 kilograms.
Maximum trigger delay of 0.25 seconds.
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The first step in decomposing a problem functionally is to represent it as a single
black box operating on material, energy, and signal flows as shown below
Decompose a complex problem into simpler sub problems
Hand-held
nailer
INPUTOUTPUT
Energy (?)
Material (nails)
Signal (tool "trip")
Energy (?)
Material (driven nail)
Signal (?)
The next step in functional decomposition is to divide the single black box into sub functions to
create a more specific description of what the elements of the product might do. This is done inorder to implement the overall function of the product. Each sub function can generally be further
divided into even simpler sub functions. The division process is repeated until the team members
agree that each sub function is simple enough to work with. The end result is shown below
Store or
Accept
Externalenergy
Convert
Energy to
Translationenergy
Store
nailsIsolate
nails
Sense
trip Triggertool
Apply
Translational
Energy to nail
Energy
Nails
Trip oftool
Driven
nail
1. Decomposition by Function
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Functional decomposition is only one of several possible ways to divide a
problem into simpler sub problems. Two other approaches are described bellow:
2. Decomposition by sequence of user action
For example, the nailer problem might be broken down into three user action:
Moving the tool to the gross nailing position
Positioning the tool precisely
Triggering the tool.
This approach is often useful for products with very simple technical functionsinvolving a lot of user interaction.
3. Decomposition by key customer needs
For the nailer, this decomposition might include the following sub problem:
Free nails in rapid succession
Fits in tight places Has a large nail capacity
This approach is often useful for products in which form, and not working principles
or technology, is the primary problem. Examples of such products include
toothbrushes (assuming the basic brush concept is retained) and storage
containers.
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Interview lead users
Lead users are those users of a product who experience needs months or years before themajority of the market and stand to benefit substantially from a product innovation. Frequently
these lead users will have already invented solutions to meet their needs.
Step 2: Search Externally
Consult Experts
Experts may include professionals at firms manufacturing related products, professional
consultants, university faculty, and technical representatives of suppliers.
The external search for solutions is essentially an information-gathering process. Following
ways may be used to gather information from external sources:
Search PatentsPatents are rich and readily available source of technical information containing detailed
drawings and explanations of how many products work. The main disadvantage of patent
searches is that concepts found in recent patents are protected (generally for 20 years), so
there may be a royalty involved in using them. However, patents are also useful to see what
concepts are already protected and must be avoided or licensed.
Search Published LiteraturePublished literature includes journals; conference proceedings; trade magazines; government
reports; market, consumer, and product information; and new product announcements.
Benchmark Related Products
Benchmarking can reveal existing concepts that have been implemented to solve a particular
problem, as well as information on the strengths and weaknesses of the competition.
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Four guidelines are useful for improving both individual and group internal search:
1.Suspend judgement
2.Generate a lot of ideas3.Welcome ideas that may seem infeasible
Step 3: Search Internally
4. Use unrelated stimuliOccasionally, random or unrelated stimuli can be effective in encouraging new ideas. An
example of such a technique is to choose, at random, one of a collection of photographs of
objects, and then to think of some way that the randomly generated object might relate to
problem at hand. In a variant of this idea, individuals have been sent out on the streets with aninstant camera to capture random images for subsequent use in stimulating new ideas.
5. Set quantitative goalsGenerating new ideas can be exhausting. Near the end of a session, individuals and groups may
find quantitative goals useful as a motivating force.
6. Use the gallery methodThe gallery method is a way to display a large number of concepts simultaneously for discussion.
Sketches, usually one concept to a sheet, are taped or pinned to the walls of the meeting room.
Team members circulated and look at each concept. The creator of the concept may offer
explanation, and the group subsequently makes suggestions for improving the concept or
spontaneously generates related concepts. This method is a good way to merge individual and
group efforts.
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As a result of the external and internal search activities, the team will have collected
tens or hundreds of concept solutions to the sub-problems. Systematic exploration is
aimed at navigating the space of possibilities by organizing and synthesizing thesesolutions.
Step 4: Explore Systematically
Concept classification tree is used to
systematic exploration of concept
solutions.
The classification tree helps the
team divide the possible solutions into
independent categories.
Concept classification tree
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The concept classification tree is used to divide the entire space of possible
solutions into several distinct classes which will facilitate comparison and pruning.
An example of a tree for the nailer example is shown in the Figure. The branches ofthis tree correspond to different energy sources.
The classification tree provides following important benefits:
1. Pruning of less promising branches
If by studying the classification tree the team is able to identify a solution approach
that does not appear to have much merit, then this approach be pruned and theteam can focus its attention on the more promising branches of the tree.
2. Identification of independent approaches to the problem
Each branch of the tree can be considered a different approach to solving the
overall problem. Some of these approaches may be almost completely independent
of each other. In these cases, the team can cleanly divide its efforts among two ormore individuals or task forces.
3. Exposure of inappropriate emphasis on certain branches
Once the tree is constructed, the team is able to reflect quickly on whether the effort
applied to each branch has been appropriately allocated.
Concept Classification Tree
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Although the reflection step is placed here at the end for convenience in
presentation, reflection should in fact be performed throughout the whole process.Questions to ask include:
Is the team developing confidence that the solution space has been fully explored?
Are there alternative function diagrams?
Are there alternative ways to decompose the problem?
Have external sources been thoroughly pursued?
Have ideas from everyone been accepted and integrated in the process?
The nailer team members discussed whether they had focused too much attention
on the energy storage and conversion issues in the tool while ignoring the user
interface and overall configuration. The decided that the energy issues remained at
the core of the problem and that their decision to focus on these issues first was
justified. They also wondered if they had pursued too many branches of theclassification tree. Initially they had pursued electrical, chemical, and pneumatic
concepts before ultimately settling on an electric concept.
Step 5: Reflect on the Results and the Process
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Concept Generation Exercise:
Vegetable Peelers
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Vegetable Peeler Exercise:
Voice of the Customer
"Carrots and potatoes are very different."
"I cut myself with this one."
"I just leave the skin on."
"I'm left-handed. I use a knife." "This one is fast, but it takes a lot off."
"Here's a rusty one."
"This looked OK in the store."
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Vegetable Peeler Exercise:
Key Customer Needs
1. The peeler peels a variety of produce.
2. The peeler can be used ambidextrously.
3. The peeler creates minimal waste.
4. The peeler saves time.5. The peeler is durable.
6. The peeler is easy to clean.
7. The peeler is safe to use and store.
8. The peeler is comfortable to use.
9. The peeler stays sharp or can be easily sharpened.
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