1 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN PHASE 1.Specification Development / Planning Phase Determine need, customer and engineering requirements Develop a project plan 2.Conceptual Design Phase Generate and evaluate concepts Select best solution 3.Detail Design Phase Documentation and part specification Prototype evaluation 4.Production Phase Component manufacture and assembly Plant facilities / capabilities 5.Service Phase Installation, use, maintenance and safety 6.Product Retirement Phase Length of use, disposal, and recycle Customer surveys Customer interviews QFD Gantt charts CPM

2 CONCEPT GENERATION Concept - is an idea that can be represented in a rough sketch or with notes of what might someday be a product.

3 If you generate one idea it will probably be a poor idea if you generate twenty ideas then you might have one good idea CONCEPT GENERATION

4 So how do we generate those concepts? Basic philosophy for generating concepts: Form follows function Creativity must be controlled by engineering judgment / expertise / experience CONCEPT GENERATION

5 SOURCES FOR CONCEPT IDEAS 1.Ideation 2.Brainstorming - a group oriented technique 3.Patents - extensive patent search may be required. (Note: there are over 5 million patents in the U.S.) 4.Reference books and trade journals - most reference books give analytical techniques and few design ideas (Trade journals are a good source, but generally are targeted at specific disciplines). 5.Experts to help generate concepts - a good source of information are manufacturers catelogues (check the Thomas Registry). 6. Functional decomposition and morphological analysis

6 1. Get a general idea of the design problem and develop different ways to tackle it Do not worry about practicality Do not refine ideas 2. Find feasible ideas If only some elements of an idea work, extract them for inclusion in the next iteration 3. Pick, choose and recombine ideas Using useful elements from all ideas 4. Refine List three concepts and add elements you really need in the finished product IDEATION

7 Fundamental Principles of Brainstorming 1.Criticism is not allowed - any attempt to analyze, rejecty, or evaluate ideas is postponed until after the brainstorming session. 2.All ideas brought forth should be picked up by the other people - participants should seek ways of improving the ideas of others. 3.Participants should divulge all ideas that enter their mind - the wilder the idea, the better. 4.Provide as many ideas as possible within a relatively short time - the greater the number of ideas, the more likelihood of useful results. BRAINSTORMING

8 SOURCES FOR CONCEPT IDEAS REFERENCE BOOKS AND TRADE JOURNALS sae.org/

9 SOURCES FOR CONCEPT IDEAS – EXPERT HELP

10 FUNCTIONAL DECOMPOSITION TECHNIQUE Step 1:Find the overall function that needs to be accomplished. Goal is to generate a single statement of the overall function based on the customer requirements. All design problems have one or two "most important" functions. These must be stated in a single concise sentence. Example: portable kayak Design a kayak that can be folded into a package small enough to fit in a trunk of a car Step 2:Decompose the function into subfunctions (perform functional decomposition). Goal is to refine the overall function statement as much as possible. Guidelines: 1.Document what not how. 2.Use standard methods and notations whenever possible for describing subfunctions. 3.Consider the logical relationships between the functions to determine their sequence. 4.Match inputs and outputs in the functional decomposition. 5.Break the main function down as finely as possible using a block diagram.

11 Foldable kayak Customer requirements Product functions satisfying customer requirements FUNCTIONAL DECOMPOSITION TECHNIQUE Allows reduction in size when transported and stored unpack Use unpacked pack

12 Decomposing top level function into subfunctions First level decomposition Second level decomposition Third level decomposition FUNCTIONAL DECOMPOSITION TECHNIQUE Unfold skeleton Pump up Assemble form smaller components... unpack Use unpacked pack unpack Pump up

13 Functional decomposition is used to identify the necessary product functionality Morphological analysis is used to explore alternative means and combinations of achieving that functionality. For each element of product function, there may be a number of possible solutions. The morphological chart is prepared and used to develop alternative combinations of means to perform functions and each feasible combination represents a potential solution. * Morphology: The science of the form and structure FUNCTIONAL DECOMPOSITION TECHNIQUE AND MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS*

14 Goal is to generate as many concepts as possible for each of the functions identified in the Functional Decomposition process. If there is a function for which only one conceptual idea exists, then this function needs to be reexamined because there are very few functions that can be fulfilled by only one concept). DEVELOPING CONCEPTS FOR EACH FUNCTION

15 Steps: List product functions (functional decomposition) List the possible 'means' for each function (morphological analysis) Chart functions and means and explore combinations DEVELOPING CONCEPTS FOR EACH FUNCTION Unfold skeleton Pump up Assemble form smaller components unpack

16 Functional decomposition of a wood splitter – in class exercise

17 Functions / Means – Morphological Chart

18 Wheelchair Retrieval Unit Example Functional Requirements: 1. align wheelchair to patient and nurse 2. move wheelchair 3. steer wheelchair 4. stop wheelchair

19 Morphological Charts Brainstorm ways to achieve functions and features Feature or function Means Cut rimScissorsKnifeLaser Razor blade Teeth Unroll rim Squeeze and pull Heating to expansion Momentum Wedge and slide Non-toxic material PlasticCardboardMetalGlassWoodNylon PortableKey chainZipper pull Attached to cell phone Part of your body

20 Morphological chart for mini-trencher