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Design
Categories
Aesthetic
design is concerned with the look and feel of a product.
Industrial designers specialize in the aesthetic qualities of
products, as well as other elements related to human-machine functionality.
Functional design is concerned with the function
of a product or process. Air currents around an aircraft are an
example of a functional design element. Engineers are concerned
with adapting to and solving problems involving functional elements.
Product design is the process used to create
new products, such as a new ceiling fan or an improved design
for a cell phone.
Product design is a complex activity including marketing, production,
sales, service, functionality and profit analyses. The goal of
a product design is to yield a product that meets the wants and
needs of the consumer, is economically produced, is safe for the
consumer and the environment, and is profitable to the company.
System design is a procedure used to create a
new system or process.
Engineering
Design Process
Engineering
design is one of the processes normally associated with an entire
business or enterprise, from the product idea to the receipt of
an order, to its maintenance, and all stages in between. The design
process requires input from a variety of areas such as customer
needs, material, capital, energy, time requirements and human
knowledge and skills.
An engineering design involves both a process and a product. A
process is a series of continuous actions ending in a particular
result. A product is anything produced as a result of some process.
As the design of a product or process is developed, the design
team applies engineering principles, follows budgetary constraints
and takes into account legal and social issues.
Graphics are an extremely important part of the engineering design
process. Graphics- in all forms- are the communications medium
of choice in the design process, which utilizes graphics as tools
to both visualize possible solutions and to document designs for
communication purposes.
Concurrent
engineering is a nonlinear team approach to design
that brings together the input, processes and output elements
necessary to produce a product. The people and processes are brought
together in the very beginning, contrary to what is normally done
in the linear approach. Many companies are finding that concurrent
engineering practices result in an improved, higher quality product,
more satisfied customers, fewer manufacturing problems, and a
shorter cycle time between design initiation and final production.
Concurrent
documentation is a process that creates documents
at the same time that the product design is being developed. If
concurrent engineering is being employed, it makes sense to use
concurrent documentation to facilitate the communication process.
The more effectively a company can communicate information about
its products- both internally and to its customers- the more successful
that company will be. Documentation is the common thread that
runs throughout the entire design process and becomes the corporate
memory for a project.
Concurrent documentation practices maximize creative time and
minimize documentation time; therefore, concurrent engineering
and documentation must be one integral system. All information
generated is communicated electronically.
Solid
Modeling
The
use of computers to create 3D models is a critical part of the
modern design process. These models are used to generate a database
of information that can be shared with all of the members of the
design team and used to develop and analyze the product. In fact,
a graphic created by 3D modeling itself could be considered both
a process and a product. As a process, 3D modeling produces final
design solutions, as well as inputs to the production process,
in the form of computer databases. As a product, a 3D model is
a result of the engineering design process.
IP-Docs-
concurrent engineering and concurrent documentation
Key
Links: - 3D Source - Current
methods
- Technical Info
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