Product Design Brief: Understanding the Basics

Miniaturization

• Miniaturization is the trend to manufacture smaller mechanical, optical, and electronic products and devices with a large number of features.
• Advantages of miniaturization:
  • Easy to handle products for customers
  • More portable and convenient for users
  • Cost savings in materials, manufacturing processes, and transportation
  • Less environmental damage due to reduced resource usage and easy waste disposal
• Disadvantages of miniaturization:
  • Technical challenges in design, heat dissipation, signal integrity, and manufacturing precision
  • Limited accessibility for maintenance or upgrades
  • Durability concerns due to fragility and proneness to damage

Integration

• Integration involves the interdependence of different departments within a firm and product integration.
• Advantages of integration:
  • Encourages teamwork and collaboration towards a common goal
  • Quicker production process
• Disadvantages of integration:
  • Complexity in integrating diverse modules
  • Design challenges in planning and considering interfaces
  • Increased manufacturing complexity due to precise coordination

Value Analysis

• Value analysis is the process of analyzing whether a product can be made more efficiently without reducing appeal to customers.
• Aim is to improve efficiency and minimize production cost.
• Advantages of value analysis:
  • Quality is maintained at desired level
  • Identifies components that are not worth the cost and allows for elimination or replacement
  • Leads to improvements in product design

Computer-Aided Design (CAD)

• CAD is the use of computer systems to assist in the creation, modification, and analysis of a product design.
• Enables designers to generate and store designs using 2D and 3D designs.
• Advantages of CAD:
  • Less human error as designs are more accurate
  • Modification to designs are cheaper and less time-consuming
  • All data used for designing is easily stored for future referencing

Modularisation

• Modularisation is the process of dividing a product into sub-sets or modules that are used to assemble the finished product.
• Advantages of modularisation:
  • Flexibility to meet customer needs
  • Easier replacement or updating of particular modules
  • Wider range of products through customization
  • Economies of scale
  • Ease of design and testing
  • Product updating is easier

Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)

• CAM is the use of computer software to control machine tools and related machinery in the manufacturing of products.
• Enables faster production process, components, and tooling with precise dimensions and material consistency.