SAC 1 - Product Design

What are the scales of manufacturing?

• One-off manufacturing

• Low volume production

• High mass/ volume production

• Continuous production

The suitability of the manufacturing scale depends on…

• The type of product

• The demand of the product

• Production facilities

Economies of scale

The cost advantages companies gain from increasing the amount of production/ production becomes more efficient

One-off manufacturing

the manufacturing system that produces a single product.

For smaller products in one-off manufacturing;

• items are generally managed by a single craftsperson using hand skills, some machinery, and outsourcing some processes (parts that are dangerous and require expensive machinery)

Bespoke

Made for a particular customer or user

Some technology involved in one-off manufacturing include

• CAD

• Laser cutting

• Hand tools

• Some factory technology

• 3D printing

• Hand-operated machines

Products for one-off manufacturing can be:

Expensive (materials and labour), made using a team (tradesman) run under a head designer/ architect (large items), made by a single craftsman/ designer (smaller products), have unique features (personal touches) added by the designer

High volume/ mass production

The fast and automated production of large quantities of identical products

What speed is high mass/ volume production?

Fast

High mass production is…

Less flexible than low volume production as it can’t be changed quickly or easily

What economies of scale does high mass production give?

• Minimal downtime and materials can be purchased in bulk

• However, some mass production occurs in unautomated factories

High mass production requires…

careful planning as it’s time-consuming, expensive to set up, and financially risky

High volume/ mass production involves

• CAD which feeds CAM

• CNC

• Laser

• Automation

• AI

• Robotics

• 3D printing

Low volume production

refers to identical items that have been produced in smaller/ low quantities

Niche

a specialised segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service.

What manufacturing scale does ‘limited edition’ belong to?

Low volume production

Low volume production allows for…

stringent (tight) and high quality checking

Affluent

Having a great deal of money

Onshore manufacturing

The manufacturing of a product locally or within the same area

When is low volume production used?

When designers/ companies are working with new or specialised products that have niche

Offshore manufacturing

The manufacturing in another country for import to the market at home

Low volume production can incorporate:

• CAD

• CAM

• CNC

• Robotics

• Automation

• 3D Printing

• Laser

Continuous production

A manufacturing method involving the uninterrupted flow in the manufacturing line and consistent delivery of goods

Continuous production works…

24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Continuous production is appropriate for…

products required in bulk quantities with fewer variations needed.

E.g. food industry products, gas refineries and oil, metals and mining, & pharmaceuticals

Traditional technologies

Technology that has been used for hundreds of years, those that are cultural and passed through generations, those specific to an area due to the materials available

Products made by continuous production are subjected to…

change from heat, time or chemical variations, and pauses

Continuous production is similar to mass production as it’s…

• costly to set up

• Highly automated

• Usually run by CAM and robotics

Continuous production uses:

• CAD which feeds CAM

• lasers

• 3D printing

• automation

• AI

• robotics

• CNC

New and emerging technologies

Completely new technology including those that have been around for decades but continue to develop and advance over time

New and emerging technologies are:

• safer and more efficient than traditional technologies

• Can upend previous methods of production

Traditional technologies are:

Technology that has been used for hundreds of years, including those that are cultural, passed through generations, and those specific to certain areas in accordance to the materials available

Traditional technologies include:

• hand tools

• hand machinery/ simple electric machinery

Continuous production is

A manufacturing method involving uninterrupted flow in the manufacturing line and consistent delivery of goods

CAD

A way of digitally creating 2D drawings and 3D models of real-word products before they’re manufactured

CAD works by:

Designs can be developed from scanned sketches and/or drawings, or they can be created from scratch

What does CAD stand for

Computer-aided design

CAD can save money through

creating 3D visualisations or ‘visual prototypes’ which reduce the cost and development of physical prototypes

CAD can link to…

CAM

What manufacturing scales is CAD involved in?

All scales of production

CAD can…

Allow changes to design to be implemented quickly and effectively without avoiding calculation errors

CAM

The use of software and computer-controlled machinery to automate a manufacturing process

What does CAM stand for?

Computer-aided manufacturing

CAM controls and automates:

• lasers

• routers

• machine tools

• knitting machines

• embroidery machines

What scales of manufacturing is CAM suitable for:

• Low volume production

• High volume/ mass production

By using CAM, companies can:

• Increase accuracy (reduced human error)

• Reduces wastage of materials

• Overlaps with benefits of CAD

CNC

The automation of machine tools and the used of CAD/ CAM programs in a series of highly-complex steps in order to create parts and components

The function of CNC is to

Coordinate numeric information to control the position, movement, and spread of machinery parts that are calculated from designs and sent directly to CNC machinery

Suitable scales, context and influence on productivity of CNC

• CNC speeds up manufacturing of products and components

• It is suitable for high-volume

  manufacturing as it can quickly produce large quantities of parts or products that are highly accurate and therefore of high quality

• It is also suitable for low-volume manufacturing of small quantities of parts or products

  thanks to the flexibility of its programming (it can be changed easily) and its ability to adapt to changing customer needs.

CAD is mainly used to control:

• drilling and milling tools that cut shapes, trenches, holes, in various positions and angles

• The size and shapes of pieces

• Specific tools used

• How the tools move

CNC allows for the control of

Any process that can be described with a series of movement and operations including:

• Laser, flame, and plasma cutting

• sawing

• welding, friction stir welding, ultrasonic welding

• bending

• edging, lathe, spinning, and router cutting

• Spinning, pinning, gluing fabric, cutting, sewing, tape, and fibre placement

Rapid 3D prototyping/ 3D printing

A speedy process used to build physical 3D. prototypes and/or parts

Rapid 3D prototyping allows for:

More checking than a virtual prototype

To create a rapid 3D prototype:

A digital file is created on CAD and is then sent to a special printer where it’s built

There are 3D printers that:

• lay down successive layers of heat liquid plastic filament

• Use UV or laser light to solidify liquid resin

• Use laser sintering to melt powdered metal or plastic

Main benefit of rapid 3D prototyping includes:

Greatly reduces time needed to produce a physical prototype

What creates innovative polymers?

Rapid 3D prototyping

What are the innovative polymers?

• biodegradable polymer

• conductive polymer

• fibre-reinforced polymer

• self-healing polymer

• shape memory polymer

• polymer-bonded rare-earth magnet

• Bio-compatible polymer

What is rapid 3D prototyping used to test?

Feasibility, functionality, strength, ergonomics, sizing, feel, and suitability of materials, plus more

Prototypes can either be:

• Additive manufacturing

• Subtractive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing

Consists of adding layers or building up materials and reduces the need for joining materials

Subtractive manufacturing

Consists of removing material from a solid piece by cutting, drilling, or carving

Innovative polymers include

• Biodegradable polymers

• Self-healing polymers

• Fibre-reinforced polymers

• Conductive polymers

• Shape memory polymers

• Polymer-bonded earth-magnets

• Bio-compatible polymer

Biodegradable polymer

designed to break down when exposed to heat, moisture, or enzymes. They can be disposed in an environmentally friendly way

Conductive polymer

designed to conduct electricity. Can be used to print sensors and antennas and other objects able to produce electrical functions

Shape and memory polymer

Designed to create structures that can remember their original shape and return to it when exposed to heat, moisture, and/ or other conditions

Self-healing polymer

Designed to repair themselves when damaged or broken, so that the product is more durable and can withstand wear and tear

Polymer-bonded earth-magnet

Using a composite of polymer and magnetic filler to create strong magnets that are protected from corrosion and can be customised to shape

Bio-compatible polymer

Safe to use in medical and surgical situations

Fibre-reinforced polymer

Increases the strength of the printed piece

Positives of innovative polymers include

Additive manufacturing using polymers can require less materials than subtractive manufacturing, reduce waste, and create customised products on demand with desired properties

Negatives of innovative polymers

Sustainability issues. Polylactic acid plastic fillaments are labelled as being compostable or biodegradable due it being made from corn starch, etc. however, it can take decades for it to break down

Other filament types can’t be recycled

Laser

A bean of monochromatic (single wavelength) light that is concentrated through a special lens

Lasers are classified in accordance to…

degree of hazard they pose

Lasers are used to…

• cut complex shapes and curves

• cut many layers at the same time

• Cuts accurately

• Body scanning measurements

• Measuring distances levels, positions, and speed

• Surface treatments such as embossing, imprinting, engraving, or hardening of materials

• Drilling in tiny layers

• Detecting faults (e.g. puncturing of seams)

• welding using low heat

Automation

The automated control of technologies and machines usually computers

Automation aim =

to increase production efficiency and accuracy through the reduction in human errors

AI

the science of making machines that can think like humans.

In manufacturing, AI can:

Create and optimise a design in CAD which engineers can check replacing months of design work

Scrap Rate

the percentage of goods or materials that can be recycled

Bottlenecks

Crowded, slow spots in the production line

Robotics

Automated machines, and can be programmed to work long hours, completing repetitive tasks

Lean manufacturing

A manufacturing method that aims to reduce costs per unit, whilst maintaining and improving quality

Lean manufacturing includes

• transportation

• Sotrage of inventory

• motion

• waiting times

• overproduction

• over processing

• defects

• unutilised talents and skills

Lean manufacturing goal =

to reduce waste as much as possible - not just materials but labour, skills and unnecessary costs

Value

Any action or process that results in an outcome that a customer would be willing to pay for

Flexible and responsive manufacturing

Allows manufacturers to change production with little notice and without complicated or expensive changes in the technology systems used

What does triple bottom line mean (3BL)

An expression that covers the 3 pillars of sustainability (economics, social, and environment) and is now taught in many businesses and schools

The 3 sustainability pillars include

• social

• economic

• environmental

Social pillar

Refers to the impact on people and their health, safety, living/working standard, cultural practises, and laws & relationships

Social pillar - people

Considering and improving the living conditions, health, and social impact on societies and and workers throughout the whole life cycle of a product from extracting raw materials, processing and manufacturing to use and dispose the product

People (social pillar involves)

• giving back to the community where possible with grants or public infrastructure, by inventing environmental programs and donating

Economic pillar

Making profits ethically

The economic pillar involves

companies needing to stay in profit to continue and operate, but shouldn’t do this at the expense workers pay or unfair business deals

Profit (staying in business ethically) involves

• Managing and taking responsibility for long term financial viability

• Avoiding unethical or unfair methods of making profits

• Honestly and accurately calculating and predicting overheads

• Paying bills

• Ensuring quality and prices are the same in all regions

• Connecting with other ethical bisnesses

• Investing in research and development that contributes to sustainability for the benefit of all

Environmental Pillar

Meeting the needs of today without compromising future generations. Considers how the air, water, soil, animals, and plants are impacted

Planet (environmental pillar)

Looking after our own natural resources

Planet involves

• choosing materials that come from an ethical source

• Reducing energy and water where possible

• Managing waste and pollution

• Reducing resource consumption

• Reducing disruption and destruction of natural ecosystems

• Considers the needs of non-human organisms

Circular economy

an economic system based on the reuse and regeneration of materials or products, especially as a means of continuing production in a sustainable or environmentally friendly way.