Category

Manufacturing

May 22
Suprematist Composition (Kazimir Malevich, 1916)

Design for Manufacturing as a Knowledge Management Tool

By Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, Manufacturing No Comments

In the first part of this two-part blog article, I discussed how two global high-tech manufacturing companies use validation tools to formalize and automate the design review process for downstream manufacturing, thereby reducing costly and time-consuming rework and engineering change orders, manufacturing defects, and costs.

In this article, I discuss the benefits of using formal manufacturability validation tools as a mechanism for best-practice knowledge capture and continuous improvement.

A Growing Manufacturing Knowledge Gap

Many design engineers lack theoretical and practical manufacturing process knowledge in well-established manufacturing disciplines such as injection molding, casting, and sheet metal fabrication. This gap is more pronounced in newer manufacturing processes that involve composite materials and additive manufacturing. Read More

May 22
Suprematist Composition (Kazimir Malevich, 1916)

Design for Manufacturing: Getting it Right the First Time Pays Off

By Manufacturing One Comment

Competing in a Global Market – What’s Your Competitive Advantage?

Today’s global marketplace gives companies access to more customers and greater growth possibilities. But to succeed in a crowded, hypercompetitive market requires companies to outperform the competition in speed to market, product quality, competitive pricing, and strong margins.

Traditional product leadership tends to focus, not unreasonably, on competitive functionality and cost. But all too often management neglects to consider the far-reaching impact that suboptimal design could have during prototyping and manufacturing volume ramp up.  Whether because of time pressure, lack of experience, or just complacency, many product organizations often ignore downstream manufacturing during product design.

Study after study shows that inept design for manufacturability leads to unnecessary engineering changes, slower time to market, and higher manufacturing ramp up costs. Meeting project schedules, achieving a high level of quality, and controlling production costs are highly dependent on getting designs right the first time. Read More

May 08
Fennel

Industrializing Additive Manufacturing: From Trinkets and Toys to Turbines and Trucks

By Additive Manufacturing, Manufacturing No Comments

For most of its short history, additive manufacturing technology innovation focused on demonstrating and proving its viability. Commercial 3D printer manufacturers have been busy making fanciful trinkets and miniature plastic replicas of industrial parts, while only a small number of industrial manufacturers have been using the technology in a limited role in prototyping and a product development stage between 3D model design and small-scale manufacturing.

From the introduction of stereolithography technology as a rapid prototyping technique in 1980, additive manufacturing evolved as a technology rather than an engineering and manufacturing discipline. While the 3D printing technology and material science have demonstrated rapid progress over the last couple of decades, the process and practice of additive manufacturing still lack industrial manufacturing orientation.

There are, of course, notable exceptions such as 3D-printed water pump impellers in a nuclear power plant in Slovenia and 3D-printed titanium bracket used in serial production Airbus A350. Read More

Mar 06
Saint El Camino: Our Lady of Internal Combustion (David Stephens, 2013)

Stop Thinking of Cars as Computers on Wheels

By Automotive, Innovation, Manufacturing No Comments

Is a Car Really Just a Computer on Wheels?

I am sure you have heard it before: your car is just a computer on wheels. It’s an opinion most common among the numerous startups and entrepreneurs with minimal industry experience attempting to jump on the automotive innovation bandwagon. I heard it again last week at an industry panel I participated in.

It’s true that modern cars incorporate a growing number of powerful computers that control most vehicle operations and interactions with driver and passengers, and with the outside world.

But whether thought-provoking or plain cute and trying to impress the audience, the assumption that these computers render a car as not much more than a powerful computer on wheels is not only inaccurate, it can be self-limiting and leading those new entrants astray. Read More

Jan 17
Charlie Chaplin in "Modern Times" (1936)

Design for Manufacturing: If You Don’t Have Time to Do It Right, When Will You Have Time to Do It Over?

By Manufacturing, PLM No Comments

The High Cost of Manufacturing Errors

High costs of rework and scrap plague many manufacturing organizations across all industries and product lines. And the list of root causes—and, quite commonly, excuses and finger pointing—can be bewildering.

Most commonly, manufacturing blunders that result in rework, tool damage, and scrap are the outcome of poor design for assembly and manufacturing.

But quite often, manufacturing setbacks are caused by human errors, omissions, and plain misunderstandings in the process of transitioning a new product from design to manufacturing.

Other organizational ills, such as poor maintenance practices of manufacturing assets, unmotivated employees, and poor quality management, can add to the problem.

No matter the root cause, the impact of rework and scrap can be overwhelming, especially when a problem is discovered only when the organization is already in full volume production. About half of the causes for rework are discovered during ramp-up time, resulting in design or process changes that cascade to several design or manufacturing activities, and impact work in progress, inventory and supplier contacts, and are highly disruptive and resource intensive. Read More