Introduction to Product Design and Manufacturing

Lecture - zero one Continued. Introduction to Product Design and Manufacturing

Last class we just completed or we were just trying to understand the concept of production and consumption cycle. I said four important parameters are there. One is how to produce; second one is distribute; the third one is consumption, and fourth one was recovery. So, all the four things are very important because today we talk about socio ecological system for every product to be developed.

So, getting continuing with that topic, so can see this is how the cycle entire cycle goes by. So, the first one is concept which is getting developed, and then the designer responsibility is to look at all the different varieties of material which is available. And then what he does is he tries to choose material from different part of the world; earlier it was thought of only try to pick from within the country or within the zone, now it has become competitive market, global competition has come into existence. So, we get parts and products and subassemblies at a very competitive price from across the globe.

So, then after that manufacturing is a next phase which happens in this cycle; so two types of manufacturing are done. One you try to produce some parts within your in house; and some bought out items you get and then you do assembly and then you develop a product. The next model which many companies are following today is they try to get everything from different vendors, and they do only assembly and sell it as a product. So, once you manufacture, then you try to transport. So, here the transportation can be done in multiple ways. For example, look depending upon the size, the volume of your product that can be two one is the volume of the product is very large or number of parts which you keep inside the particular packages also it depending upon the size; that means, to say a lot sizing will be done.

So, it is decided and then they try look for transportation. For example, if you try to produce a continuous product continuous product in terms of cement. So, now, here they try to move by train. So, in train you can have the raw material can be the material can be moved as a complete container of powder or several small bags of cement can be put and then moved. It can be moved in trucks, it can be moved in train. So, you decide which is optimum. And then which is again keeping sustainability and cost into your consideration you try to move the transportation.

Then you try to do retailing. And in retailing, what you do is this whatever product you have sent it in a package it is discretized further, you sell it as individual piece or you sell it as a batch of ten or a complete whatever is a commodity you do it retailing. And here you try to add some packaging material to it, so that you can try to attract customers and then from there it goes to disposal, and then recycling comes into use.

So, today we talk about reduce, reuse and recycle. So, whatever this is very common thing which is being thought right from school, when you develop a product we should always try to keep this in mind. So, first of all we should try to tell the customers though they buy our product, but try to tell them that you reduce it and use it or try to give them the required amount of dosage of whatever it is, and then try to tell them that you reduce it and use it.

Next thing is you reuse and use it. So, reuses something like I gave you an example of compressor. So, I use took of the compressor from one refrigerator take the compressor fit into the other guy and you start running another compressor, so that is reuse right. Recycle is completely change the product and then you try to develop a new one from the scrap. So, for example, all the chips scrap which is manufactured are now used for recycling, and then trying to get billets developed or rods developed, so that is recycle. So, I recycle plastic are recycled today ok. This is the complete production consumption cycle which is very very important for a product designer to understand this. At every phase, he has to involve, he has to be creative, he has to be innovative in developing a product before releasing to the society.

Production-consumption cycle

So, in this production consumption cycle first thing is information. Today the biggest resource is data. People everybody wants to have data. Information is something which is very costly, data. From data you put a filter and what you develop is information. Information is precious. If I have to understand the cross section of the society of people I would look forward for information. So, information can be static; information can be dynamic. In information can be got when you personally meet the people do interview and acquire data. Information is very, very important. Without information, you cannot develop a product.

So, it is the back bone of engineering design information is collection and redefining of information is the biggest thing which a product designer must do. He should collect data. He should process the data put filters, remove noise, rearrange the data such that he can assimilate and develop knowledge and concept for a about a product.

The latent information is of great importance. When you are looking for contemporary design or a concurrent design or when you are looking at up when you are trying to develop a shoe. Today earlier shoe was just thought of for trying to protect your foot. Today the same shoe is looked at for evaluating the status of a person. People say when you try to wear latest trend shoes, they say you are techno savage same thing which goes to a mobile phone. If I have a mobile phone which is of old type which is punch type, that means, to say you punch the numbers and use. So, people try to have an estimate about you right. So, today people look at Smartphones, Smartphones are integral part of life today because so many apps so many things happening in the society is being well transmitted or communicated using a Smartphone.

So, you should have latent information which is very important. When you try to develop your product it has to be integrated with the latest technology which is around. The information about the component environment specification and material are very very important, you should look for this before developing the product. Do not go by here say, do not go by some senior said some boss said, do not go by that look for standard data which is available process those data and then try to convert. So, today lot of companies come out with manuals wherein which they say these are the components which we develop, please look at our brochure.

So, when you look at our brochure, we try to give you lot of other specification about the product. See when I was talking to my son he said I would like to have a spoon which is which could just go very close to my mouth and it just tries to attract my tongue outside, so that it can meet dispersed inside, but what does he want I do not understand. So, now, if am a designer, if I am a product designer what I should do is I should now convert whatever he said into a specification such that an engineering knowledge can be applied on top of it. People say I would like to have a very beautiful house, how do you quantify. There is no engineering specification for it. So, now, if we convert that into some engineering specification then for a product designer, it becomes easy to work.

I would like to have a phone which is very sleek very smart which attracts everybody's eye. So, it is a statement which is all qualitative, you have to convert it into quantitative statement, so that is nothing but information. And whatever information you collect you have to start storing it. Generating information every time is very very expensive. Doing experiments every time and then trying to generate data is pretty expensive. So, whatever information you have collected, please do not thrash it, try to store it, logically store it such that you can revive it and reuse it at any point of time as it is required. Gathering, organizing, storing, rewinding of the data is quite large and very important aspect as far as far as product development is concerned.

So, in India, we have something called as we have a council which is called as TIFAC. TIFAC is nothing but technological information forecast assessment council ok. So, here what they have done they have several centers wherein which there is design data processing. So, which is established you can go pull out the data and you can try to develop that products very fast.

So, let us see some of the currently used methods and product realization process ok. So, design process is to create, adapt an existing product to meet out the application or simply improve the existing product. All the things are to be done it is part of process. One is creating a product completely new taking other one is trying to taking an existing product and trying to add new applications for example, a Smartphone. Today, a Smartphone initially phone mobile phone was thought for talking only. Today if you ask any customer talking has become one of the lowest priority in his big list of choosing a Smartphone. He looks at a camera, he looks at the battery size, he looks at the screen clarity, he looks at how many apps can I store, and he looks at so many other things and finally, talking, talking becomes the last priority.

So, now you see existing product which can completely you took the product and which can be completely tuned to a new application. Today banking can be done on a mobile phone which I never thought of. I used to stand in queue for depositing money; today there are e-counters which has some which is called as green e counters. You go deposit money, you get a receipt; you deposit cheque you get a receipt. So, this existing thing modified right.

And the third one is just try slightly improving the existing product wherein which the efficiency can be can be improved. So, all these things are part of design developing, adopting new existing one and giving a new application and the third one is slightly modifying for the existing product. So, the product realization process may be engineering design what is engineering design it is nothing, but collection of data logically arranging the data and then trying to get a knowledge out of the data is engineering design.

So, now it is nothing but systematic, creative, iterative process that results in developing a component or a component or a system is nothing but engineering design. In all these things, the first important thing is problem definition. Problem definition is one of the biggest challenge. A product designer has a big challenge to identify the requirements of a customer. This is the first and foremost thing. And once you identify a problem then half of your product development is done.

We are we see when you think of a child, and you want to develop a product, there are humpty number of things which a child cannot even explain. So, how do you identify what is the problem and then for that problem you have to come out with an engineering aspect for that aspect you have to look up down for a technology and then come out with the product. And again you have to try your product on to a child, who are he or she cannot give any feedback, you would try to develop a product look at the challenge which is there. Problem definition is the first major challenge as far as product design is concerned. It is a stage in which the idea of the product is formed, progression from myth to a coherent statement of problem this is problem definition; in a whatever problem definition you do then you try to do the engineering design of it and then develop it.

Next one is creating process. Today there is a mixed opinion people say you cannot be creative and some people say there are some tools wherein which they can try if you follow those tools you will be led to creative thinking, creative process is something which leads to innovation. So, stage where different concepts and ideas are converted into reality is part of creative process.

Then analytical process this is a stage wherein which we generate prototypes and evaluate the prototypes, and check whether it is accepted, what modification has to be done, and go back to your desk, reiterate the product and keep repeating the step and keep repeating the step so analytical process is that.

An ultimate check is before finally, the product gets into mass production you do a final check you do a final confirmation, and then you start producing it. Confirming the design is satisfied the basic requirements or not this is what is the ultimate check we do. So, when we talk about any process or any product, we see all this steps products realization process may be engineering design, problem definition, creative process, analytical process, ultimate check is done and then we finally, release the product to the customer.

The design can be of several type. So, here I have put the aesthetic design a camera right at there are several cameras available, several webcams available how do I have a niche how do I hit the market. So, people here have given more important to aesthetics as compared along with it is not that only aesthetics, aesthetics along with other things. For example, if you go to Taj Mahal, it is more of aesthetics right. If you go to some other fort in India, or if you go to castles somewhere the aesthetics is given a very important look. Many a times recently I have visited a building a hotel wherein which the hotel had a very good aesthetic appearance from outside. But when I started staying in the rooms I found out some strange thing because their roofs were all tapered in order to give castle like look what they have done is the roofs all in every room have made it a this taper.

So, when they make this roof as taper the when you try to put an air condition, we try to have several areas as dead zones which are of no use. For example, if I am going to stay in a room, my comfort zone is this area, but if you look at it all this zone where AC is not even required has been full filled just because of keeping aesthetics. So, there has to be a tradeoff between aesthetic and the functional look.

So, here there are aesthetic design is referred to creating action of fashioning an object without consigning with how or even if it can be made, so that is aesthetics. But aesthetics are also important because giving color, giving shape, plays a very important role to appeal a public. Aesthetic design has now become an important part of the product realization process and companies are looking for professional so integrate engineering with aesthetics. So, today engineering is integrated with aesthetics such that you can produce good products to appeal.

The other thing is industrial design. In industrial design more and more functionality is given importance rather than aesthetics right. They emphasize those aspects of the product or a system that relate most directly to human characteristics needs or interest such as visual, tactile, safety and convenience. And they do not give more importance towards the shape or the color. So, here it is called as industrial design, but earlier it was thought about exclusively industrial design, exclusively aesthetic design; today the two compartments are getting merged. So, there is a thin line between aesthetic design and industrial design. So, any product you develop has to have aesthetic design as well as industrial design if you have to be successful in the market.