Embodiment Design: Product Architecture & Configuration Design

Embodiment Design: Product Architecture & Configuration Design

Embodiment Design in PDP

The embodiment design phase in Product Design Process (PDP) involves several key steps:

  • Define Problem:

    • Problem statement

    • Benchmarking

    • Product dissection

    • House of Quality

    • Product Design Specification (PDS)

  • Gather Information:

    • Internet

    • Patents

    • Technical articles

    • Trade journals

    • Consultants

  • Concept Generation:

    • Creativity methods

    • Brainstorming

    • Functional models

    • Decomposition

    • Systematic design methods

  • Evaluate & Select Concept:

    • Decision making

    • Selection criteria

    • Pugh chart

    • Decision matrix

    • Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)

  • Product architecture:

    • Arrangement of physical elements and Modularity

  • Configuration design:

    • Preliminary selection of materials and manufacturing processes, Modeling, and Sizing of parts

  • Parametric Design:

    • Robust design

    • Set tolerances

    • Design for Manufacturability (DFM), Design for Assembly (DFA), Design for Environment (DFE)

    • Tolerances

  • Detail Design:

    • Engineering drawings

    • Finalize PDS

Introduction to Embodiment Phase

The embodiment phase of design is divided into three main groups:

  • Product Architecture: Arranging physical elements of a design to carry out its functions, setting the arrangement of physical elements into modules.

  • Configuration Design: Designing special-purpose parts and selecting standard components (e.g., pumps, motors).

  • Parametric Design: Determining exact values, dimensions, and tolerances of components or features critical to quality.

Product Architecture

Definition

Product architecture is the arrangement of a product's physical elements to carry out its required functions.

  • It is related to the function structure but does not necessarily match it.

  • The architecture is selected to establish the best system for functional success after a design concept is chosen.

Types of Product Architecture

There are two main styles of product architecture:

  • Modular

  • Integral

Modular Architecture

  • Facilitates the evolution of a design over time.

  • Allows adaptation to different customer needs by adding or deleting modules.

  • Can lead to using the same basic components in multiple products, creating a product family.

Types of Modular Architectures

  • Slot-modular: Each interface between modules is of a different type.

  • Bus-modular: Modules assemble along a common interface or bus.

  • Sectional-modular: All interfaces are of a common type, but there is no single element to which the chunks attach.

Integral Architecture

  • Functions are implemented by only one or a few modules.

  • Components perform multiple functions, enabling function sharing.

  • Has strong implications for manufacturing costs.

Steps in Developing Product Architecture

Four-Step Process

Ulrich and Eppinger propose a four-step process:

  1. Create a schematic diagram of the product.

  2. Cluster the elements of the schematic into modules.

  3. Create a rough geometric layout.

  4. Identify the interactions between modules.

Example: Shot-Buddy

  • Schematic Diagram: Showing flows within the product.

  • Clustered into Modules: Organizing elements into functional groups.

  • Geometric Layout: Physical arrangement of modules.

Define Interactions & Determine Performance Characteristics

  • Accurately modeling interactions between modules is crucial.

  • Complexity can build up at interfaces if modules are not carefully designed.

  • Module descriptions should include:

    • Descriptions of interfaces

    • Modeling of interactions between neighboring modules

Documentation of Module

Each module's documentation should include:

  • Functional requirements

  • Drawings or sketches of the module and its component parts

  • Preliminary component selection

  • Detailed description of placement within the product

  • Detailed descriptions of interfaces with neighboring modules

  • Accurate models for expected interactions

Interactions Between Component Modules

Four types of interactions are possible:

  • Spatial interactions: Physical interfaces between modules.

  • Energy flows: Represent another important type of interaction.

  • Information flow: Signals to control the product or feedback relative to its operation.

  • Material flow: Between product modules if it's an element of the product’s functionality.

Configuration Design

Definition

Configuration design establishes the shape and general dimensions of components; exact dimensions and tolerances are set in parametric design.

  • The term