Module-III

ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS

The term design has been defined in several ways like:

Design is the process of inventing artifacts that display a new physical order, organization,
and form in response to function.
Design is a conscious and intuitive effort directed toward the ordering of the functional,
material and visual requirements of a problem.
Design is a statement of order and organization. Its goal is unity. It must hold together. It is
an expression of the human ubiquitous quest for order.
The planning and patterning of any act toward a desired, foreseeable end constitutes the
design process.
Designing is creative problem solving.
Finally the working definition to be employed is that design is the conscious, human
process of planning physical things that display a new form in response to some
predetermined need. Further this activity implies a creative, purposeful, systematic,
innovative and analytical approach to a problem which distinguishes between serious design
and idea speculation. Design may be classified into the following three broad categories:
1. Routine Design
In which the design space of the function, expected behaviors and structure variables is
known.
2. Innovative design
In which certain aspects of the defined design space need to be modifies or extended, as no
existing solution within that space meets the requirements.
3. Creative design
In which the design space must be created. Note that while, in some sense, in creative design,
something which did not previously exit is created, the definition here applied to that process
where the structure is unknown and the knowledge is scanty.

DESIGN PROCESS
The design process varies from industry to industry; it also takes different forms in response
to the product or system to be developed and the resources that are available. The general
process of design is characterized as an iterative process which consists of the following six
phases:

R.K.Singh, Dept of Production Engineering, B.I.T. Mesra, Ranchi,

E-mail: riteshsingh@bitmesra.ac.in

Module-III

Recognition of need

Definition of Problem

Synthesis

Analysis and Optimization

Evaluation

Presentation

Reorganization of need: involves the realization by some one that a problem exist for which
some corrective action can be taken in the form of design solution i.e some new product
opportunity identified by a sales person, or identification of some defect in current product
design.
Definition of Problem: Involves a thorough specification of the item to be designed. This
specification includes the physical characteristics, function cost, quality, and operating
performance.
Synthesis and Analysis: Synthesis is concept development stage, where intuition and
technical experience merge to produce a range of possible problem solutions. In this stage the
potential configuration emerge and are evaluated.
Synthesis and analysis are closely related and highly interactive in the design process.
Consider the development of certain product design. Each of the subsystem of the product
would be conceptualized by the designer, analyzed, improved through the analysis procedure,
redesign, analyzed, improved through the analysis procedure, redesigned, analyzed and so on.
The process would be repeated until the design has been optimized within the constraints
imposed on the designer. The individual component would be synthesized and analyzed into
the final product in a similar manner.
Evaluation: is concerned with measuring the design against the specifications established in
the problem definition phase. This evaluation often requires the fabrication and testing of a
prototype model to asses operating performance, quality, reliability and other criteria.
Presentation: is the final phase of design process. Presentation is concerned with the
documentation of the design by means of drawing, material specification, assembly lists and
so on.

R.K.Singh, Dept of Production Engineering, B.I.T. Mesra, Ranchi,

E-mail: riteshsingh@bitmesra.ac.in

Module-III
DESIGN REQUIREMENTS
The human factors need to be translated as a series of subset parenting to purpose of use,
physical substance and appearance. Human factors are important in designing. The main
objective is to create a product that not only works and is durable but also looks nice. The
needs of users, involving the special function, material requirement and visual requirement
must be considered in design.
Functional Requirements: Functional Requirements means the product must fit/fulfill the
purpose for which it is intended. The appliance that is difficult to use, the tool that fails to
perform as intended, and product that neither adequately nor comfortably supports the human
need are examples of bad design.
Material requirement: The product should reflect the direct and practical use of the material
it is made. The designer should achieve maximum benefit from a minimum amount of
judiciously selected material. If the selection is wise, the structure of the product will be
sound and will be as strong as necessary without any waste of materials or excess bulk.
Visual requirements: A product should have pleasant appearance. Human respond more
positively to pleasing rather than ugly objects. This is most difficult to fulfill design
requirement because the test of people changes from person to person. An object may be vary
beautiful fore one person but may be unacceptable to another. Taste of people their like and
dislikes cannot be dictated.
PRINCIPLES OF MODERN DESIGN
The product design is generally forged by the innovative work of a number of specialized
people. There are certain general principals that must be used as guideline for the
procedure of product design. Principles of modern design are as follows:
1. Product materials should be used honestly, taking full advantage of their unique
attributes and never making them seem to be what they are not.
2. Product should be functional, useful and expressive of their intended purposes.
3. Product should incorporate the latest advancements in material science, computer
applications and process technology.
4. Products should be derived from new combinations of form, colour and texture to
enhance both their functions and appearances.
5. Products should be expressions of the prevailing aesthetic of our age.
6. Products should be devoid of unnecessary or extraneous decoration.

PREPARATION OF DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

Industries which have learned the importance of good quality systems give considerable
attention to the detailed preparation of specifications. Writing a specification usually calls for
collecting informations. Ideas are communicated to the various departments through the
medium of drawings and specifications. Drawings show the exact size, shape, different parts
and sub-assemblies of the product. Specifications are the detailed descriptions of the required
characteristics of the equipment, system or process. A design specification should be
formulated by the design engineer.
R.K.Singh, Dept of Production Engineering, B.I.T. Mesra, Ranchi,
E-mail: riteshsingh@bitmesra.ac.in

Module-III
Family of specifications can be put into four main groups:
(a) Customer or performance specifications;
(b) Product design specifications;
(c) Manufacturing specifications;
(d) Sales specifications.
a) Customer or Performance Specifications
These specifications would be based upon market research information or specified by a
particular customer. For the purpose, the following informations are essential:
1. The purpose of the product or design requirement (for example, removing dirt from
carpets, communication quickly over long distances, the destruction of missiles, and
so on);
2. The degree of customer satisfaction already being achieved by existing products, and
the known limitations in their design.
3. Selling price band;
4. Whether a luxury or a necessity;
5. Importance of aesthetic considerations;
6. Safety requirements, limitations and hazards;
7. Environmental considerations;
8. Type of potential user;
9. The degree of variability acceptable to the customer in terms of performance,
appearance, reliability, design life, shelf life, rate of deterioration, and so on;
10. Service and maintenance considerations.
b) Product Design Specifications
These specifications define the characteristics, capabilities and limitations of the product.
Care taken in the preparation of this specification and comparison with the customers
specification are probably the most important features.
The important features of a design specification are the following:
1. Description of the product;
2. Design life: this may be specified in terms of time, number of operations or cycles of
operation which should be expected under the specified conditions;
3. Rate of degradation to be expected under the specified conditions;
4. Output or performance parameters;
5. Reliability to be expected during specified design life and under specified conditions;
6. Effects on performance to be expected from environmental cycling, vibration,
corrosion, noise, sunlight, dust biological attack, fumes, and the like.

R.K.Singh, Dept of Production Engineering, B.I.T. Mesra, Ranchi,

E-mail: riteshsingh@bitmesra.ac.in

Module-III
c) Manufacturing Specifications
These specifications include a description of everything necessary for the manufacture of the
product. Such specifications are generally the most complex and frequently include:
1. Component, sub-assembly and assembly drawings or ingredient specifications
including tolerances;
2. Drawings and details of tools, jigs, fixtures and measuring equipment;
3. Calibration requirements for all measurement and test equipment needed;
4. Material specifications;
5. Instructions for processing and methods of testing at each stage of production;
6. Instructions for testing incoming materials and components;
7. Specifications for bought-in materials and components, including instructions to
suppliers for materials testing and methods of production.;
8. Instructions for assembly and packaging;
9. Instructions for storage and transport;
10. Installation instructions and customer training requirements;
11. Details of all company, trade, national or international standards relevant to the
product.
d) Sales Specifications
These specifications should include information necessary for the customer to decide whether
the product is likely to satisfy his or her requirements. It is this specification, which will
probably form the basis of the legal relationship between the buyer that all claims for
performance, safety and reliability can be substantiated. There must be no ambiguity in the
wording, and the limitations which may affect the safety of the product must be clearly
stated. Such a specification does not need to be as detailed as either the design or the
production specification but should include:
1. An illustration of the products appearance;
2. A statement of the performance characteristics and claims;
3. Where applicable, the dimensions or other features necessary to determine suitability;
4. Promises of after-sales service, economy, maintainability, safety and reliability.
NEED VIS--VIS SPECIFICATION
The general outlines of specification writings are as below:
1. Provisionally identify a range of possible outcomes of varying levels of generality.
2. Select the lowest level of generality that leaves the designers with sufficient design
freedom.
3. Define the expected design outcome without reference to the design features that the
designers are free to change and with reference to measures of performance that the
designers will be able to predict.
R.K.Singh, Dept of Production Engineering, B.I.T. Mesra, Ranchi,
E-mail: riteshsingh@bitmesra.ac.in

Module-III

DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING

A designer's primary objective is to design a functioning
product within given economic and schedule constraints.
However, research has shown that by the time a product has
been designed, only 8% of the total product budget has been
spent. But the decisions made during the design period

determine 80% of the product's costs while decisions made

during production only account for 20% of the product's
costs. Once this cost is locked in, it is difficult for
manufacturing to remove it. Further, decisions made in the
first 5% of product design could determine the vast
majority of the product's cost, quality and
manufacturability characteristics. This indicates the great
leverage that DFM can have on a company's success and
profitability.

Up to now, DFM is not a ready to use method. Rather, it is an approach that emphasizes on
the inclusion of process information into the design process. A definition of the DFM
approach is the following "Design for Manufacturing implies optimization of the product and
process concepts during the design phase of a product in order to ensure ease of
manufacture."
For example, study the small steel bracket as shown in, one is comprised eight separate
pieces requiring multiple spot welding to close tolerances. The other is a one piece redesign
employing a series of progressive blanking, lancing, piercing and bending operations and
more producible than other.

Design for manufacturability is the process of proactively designing products to (1) optimize
all the manufacturing functions: fabrication, assembly, test, procurement, shipping, delivery,
service, and repair, and (2) assure the best cost, quality, reliability, regulatory compliance,
safety, time-to-market, and customer satisfaction.
Early consideration of manufacturing issues shortens product development time, minimizes
development cost, and ensures a smooth transition into production for quick time to market.
Quality can be designed in with optimal part selection and proper integration of parts, for
minimum interaction problems.
R.K.Singh, Dept of Production Engineering, B.I.T. Mesra, Ranchi,
E-mail: riteshsingh@bitmesra.ac.in

Module-III
Design for Manufacturability can reduce many costs, since products can be quickly
assembled from fewer parts. Thus, products are easier to build and assemble, in less time,
with better quality. Parts are designed for ease of fabrication and commonality with other
designs. DFM encourages standardization of parts, maximum use of purchased parts, modular
design, and standard design features.
Companies that have applied DFM have realized substantial benefits. Costs and time-tomarket are often cut in half with significant improvements in quality, reliability,
serviceability, product line breadth, delivery, customer acceptance and, in general,
competitive posture.

DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURABILITY / ASSEMBLY GUIDELINES

Simplify the design Other factors being equal, the product with fewest parts, the least
intricate shape, the fewest precision adjustment and shortest manufacturing sequence will
be the least costly to produce.

Reduce the number of parts because for each part, there is an opportunity for a
defective part and an assembly error. Reduce the number of parts to minimize the
opportunity for a defective part or an assembly error, to decrease the total cost of
fabricating and assembling the product, and to improve the chance to automate the
process.

Use standard materials and components, if at all feasible Use of widely available
material and off the self parts enables the benefits of mass production to be realized by
even low-unit quantity products. Use of standard components also simplifies inventory
management, eases purchasing, avoided tooling and equipment investments, and speed
the manufacturing cycle.

Use modular parts wherever possible When several similar products are to be produced
specify the same materials, parts, and subassemblies for each as much as possible. This
process will provide economics of scale for components manufacturing, simplify process
control and operator training, and reduce the investment required for tooling and
equipment.
This modular or building block design should minimize the number of part or assembly
variants early in the manufacturing process while allowing for greater product variation
late in the process during final assembly. This approach minimizes the total number of
items to be manufactured, thereby reducing inventory and improving quality. Modules
can be manufactured and tested before final assembly. The short final assembly leadtime
can result in a wide variety of products being made to a customer's order in a short period
of time without having to stock a significant level of inventory.

Design within process capabilities and avoid unneeded surface finish requirements.
Know the production process capabilities of equipment and establish controlled
processes. Avoid unnecessarily tight tolerances it will result in high unnecessary cost due
to following reasons: a) extra surface finishing operation, b) extra tooling cost (for
maintaining high precision of tool), c) long processing time, d) high scrap and rework
cost, e) requirement of highly trained and skilled workforce, f) higher material cost, and
g) investment in precison mfg. equipment.
Also, avoid tight tolerances on multiple, connected parts. Tolerances on connected parts
will "stack-up" making maintenance of overall product tolerance difficult.
R.K.Singh, Dept of Production Engineering, B.I.T. Mesra, Ranchi,
E-mail: riteshsingh@bitmesra.ac.in

Module-III

Use most processible material for which the combined cost of material, processing,
warranty and service charges are lowest for the overall designed life of the product.

Design for ease of fabrication. Select processes compatible with the materials and
production volumes. Select materials compatible with production processes and that
minimize processing time while meeting functional requirements. Avoid unnecessary part
features because they involve extra processing effort and/or more complex tooling. Apply
specific guidelines appropriate for the fabrication process such as the following
guidelines for machinability:

For higher volume parts, consider castings or stampings to reduce machining

Use near net shapes for molded and forged parts to minimize machining and
processing effort.
Design for ease of fixturing by providing large solid mounting surface & parallel
clamping surfaces
Avoid designs requiring sharp corners or points in cutting tools - they break easier
Avoid thin walls, thin webs, deep pockets or deep holes to withstand clamping &
machining without distortion
Avoid tapers & contours as much as possible in favor of rectangular shapes
Avoid undercuts which require special operations & tools
Avoid hardened or difficult machined materials unless essential to requirements
Put machined surfaces on same plane or with same diameter to minimize number of
operations
Design workpieces to use standard cutters, drill bit sizes or other tools
Avoid small holes (drill bit breakage greater) & length to diameter ratio > 3 (chip
clearance & straightness deviation)

Mistake-proof product design and assembly (poka-yoke) so that the assembly process
is unambiguous. Components should be designed so that they can only be assembled in
one way; they cannot be reversed. Notches, asymmetrical holes and stops can be used to
mistake-proof the assembly process.

Design for parts orientation and handling to minimize non-value-added manual effort,
to avoid ambiguity in orienting and merging parts, and to facilitate automation.

Parts must be designed to consistently orient themselves when fed into a process
Product design must avoid parts which can become tangled, wedged or disoriented.
Avoid parts that can be easily damaged or broken.
Part design should incorporate symmetry around both axes of insertion wherever
possible
provide an external feature or guide surface to correctly orient the part.
Avoid parts that are sticky or slippery (thin oily plates, oily parts, adhesive backed
parts, small plastic parts with smooth surfaces, etc.).
Avoid heavy parts that will increase worker fatigue, increase risk of worker injury,
and slow the assembly process.
Avoid parts with sharp edges, burrs or points.
Guide surfaces should be provided to facilitate insertion.
Parts should be designed with surfaces so that they can be easily grasped, placed
and fixtured. Ideally this means flat, parallel surfaces that would allow a part to
picked-up by a person or a gripper with a pick and place robot and then easily
fixtured.
R.K.Singh, Dept of Production Engineering, B.I.T. Mesra, Ranchi,
E-mail: riteshsingh@bitmesra.ac.in

Module-III

Design the work station area to minimize the distance to access and move a part.

Design for ease of assembly by utilizing simple patterns of movement and minimizing
fastening steps.

Strive for Z axis assembly; gravity is a natural assembly tool and designers
should take advantage of it
Eliminate or reduce the number of threaded fasteners in design, if possible
Use symmetrical parts to simplify the assembly
utilizing simple patterns of movement and minimizing the axes of assembly.
Complex orientation and assembly movements in various directions should be
avoided.
Part features should be provided such as chamfers and tapers.
Use human assemblers wisely; the human hand is an ideal assembly tool

Design for efficient joining and fastening. Threaded fasteners (screws, bolts, nuts
and washers) are time-consuming to assemble and difficult to automate. Where they
must be used, standardize to minimize variety and use fasteners such as self threading
screws and captured washers. Consider the use of integral attachment methods (snapfit). Evaluate other bonding techniques with adhesives. Match fastening techniques to
materials, product functional requirements, and disassembly/servicing requirements.

Design for ease of servicing the product

R.K.Singh, Dept of Production Engineering, B.I.T. Mesra, Ranchi,

E-mail: riteshsingh@bitmesra.ac.in