Chapter 1 The design process ‘Material selection and design are integrated term in the development of any product with competitive cost. It is dificult to select appropriate material for any product design without having the knowledge on the importance of material selection in design. ‘This chapter thus gives an overview on the new product development activities and some basic features of material selection. Several new case concepts on the development of product are also introduced, Learning outcomes After learning this chapter students should be able to do the following: ¢ Explain the importance of material selection and design 4 Idontify the activities for a now product development 4 Describe features of materials selection “Design” is one of those words that mean all things to all people. Every man- ‘ufsctured thing, from the most typical cup of Lea to a spaccerafl, qualies, in some way, as a design, ‘This course is about engineering design and tho role fof materials in it. Mechanical components have mass; they carry load; they conduct heat and cloctricity; they are exposed to wear and to corrosive envi- ronments; they are made of one or more materials; they have shape; and they ‘must be manufactured. This course describes how these activities are related. ‘The selection of the correct material for a design is a key step in the process because it can improve the service performance and is the crucial decision that links with a working design, Materials and manufacturing process that convert ‘the material into a useful part underpin all of engineering design. There is a ditcet relationship between material selection and design especially the design ‘configuration of the part, Therefore, it is important to deal these two ( mato- ‘al selection and design) together. Design engineer should identify application requirements such as mechanical, thermal, environmental, chemical etc. At the ‘same time, st is also important to remember that this relationship is only at ‘tho primary level but it is an integral part of the design process. A good «x ample is that, a product consist of components which in turn made out of one ‘or more parts whereby simple part consist of only one material. Tn that case, ‘materials selection is performed for simple parts. When several parts of ‘8 component for some reasons ate to be made out of the sarae material, this 12 CHAPTER 1, THE DESIGN PROCESS is performed by adding this as a separate requitement followed by the analysis of the parts together with the simple part. Therefore, materials selection and design should fulfill all the requizements together and suit each other in order to have excellent and reliable product 1.1 The role of the materials engineer in design ‘The role of the materials enginoer in the design and manufacture of today's highly sophisticated products is varied, complex, exciting, and always changing, mainly because of materials and their performance under service conditions However, materials selection specialists have been practicing their art since the beginning of recorded time. Nowadays, the role of the materials selection ex- pert has evolved. When we think of materials sclection specialists, we think of those who have been formally trained as metallurgical or materials engineer But as discussed below, there are many more engineers involved in materials selection than those with the title metallurgist, materials engincer, or materials scientist. Therefore, it is becoraing essential to develop much closer working relationship between those who design a component and those who advise the designer on materials selection, In fact, the most efficient structural designs are now generated by, incorporating form the beginning, the complex properties of ‘modern enginvered materials into the design synthesis step (matching form to faction), ‘The actual selection of a material to satisfy a design need is effectively pes formed every day in literally dozen of different ways by poople of many different backgrounds. Te selection process can range from simply re-epecifying @ pre viously used material (or one used by a competitor) through finite clement analyses or modelling routines to precisely identify property requirements. Ad~ ditionally, the selection may be done by someone formally trained in metallurgy and materials science or by designers themselves. There is no unique individual role when it comes to materials selection. ‘Today, the selection of the material and its processing, product design, cost, availability, recyeleability, and performance in final product form have become inseparable, As a result, more and more companies are forming integrated prod~ + development teams to ensure that all needed input is obtained conewrvently, the integration of material, provess, and product design relies on individuals who aze trained in materials selection and can work in a team environment. Often, itis the materials specialist, famaliar with the Lrequent, conflicting needs of design, production, and marketing, who can assume the role of mediator to focus on the final product. Worldwide, the vast majority of manufacturing firms are small and cannot afford the lucury of a formally trained materials sciontist or material selection specialist. Rather, they have individuals trained in many areas, one of which is ‘materials. In a smaller enterprise, these individuals actually select materials as ‘a part of their daily design activity. An understanding of these decisions might assist in designing and making the part completely.1.2, PRODUCT DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISES 1.2 Product design and development in the in- dustrial enterprise ‘Thousand of different products are being used every day, from telephones to bikes and drinks cans to washing machines. However, it ie vital to think how ‘thoy work or the way they are mado. Bvery product is design in a particular ‘way and as such, product analysis enables to understand the important materi- als, processing, economic and aesthetic decisions which are required before any’ product can be manufactured ‘The role of engincering design in a manufacturing firm is to transform rela tively vague marketing goals into specific information needed to manufacture a product or machine that will make the fim a profit. This information is in the form of drawings, computer-aided design (CAD) data, notes, instructions, and s0 forth, Product design and development involve interdiseiplinary activities with eon tributions from different segments of an industrial enterprise including design, ‘materials and manufacturing, finance, legal, sales, and marketing. This is bo- ‘cause of satislying the technical requirements, a successful product should also bbe acsthetically pleasing, safe to use, economically competitive, and compliant with logal and environmental constraints. ‘The total development effort depends on the complexity of the product, and project teams can consist of a few people working for a few days or weeks on a siraple product like a hand tool to several hundred people working for several ‘months or even years on a complex product like a motorear or an airplane. ‘The cost of development can range from a few hundred dollars for a simple product to millions of dollars for a complex product A product design usually starts as a concept that, if feasible, develops into a design and then a finished product. While each engineering product has its awn individual character and its owa sequence of development events, the following seven phases can be identified in a variety of product design and development projects 1. Tdentifcation of ness, feasibility study, and concept selection 2. Systemlovel design, detail design, and selection of material and process 4 Testing and refinement 4. Manufacturing the product 5. Launching the product 6. Selling the product 7, Planning fr its retirement ‘The overall goal of this chapter is to introduce the spectrum of activities ‘that are normally involved in different product development phast