Adding Product Value through Rapid Manufacturing Ian Campbell and Mike Burton Loughborough University, UK

Contents 1. Introduction 2. Adding Product Value 3. Example RM Products 4. Development of Designers’ Tool 5. Conclusions and Future Work

1. Introduction Rapid Manufacturing (RM) is an extension of Rapid Prototyping (RP) Made possible by improved RP capabilities Likely that RM systems aimed at end-use applications will emerge Application of RM is limited at present Best known example is personalised hearing aids from Phonak and Siemens

Personalised Hearing Aids

Uses an imprint of the individual customer’s outer ear Reverse engineered to produce a uniquely shaped design Built directly using RP technology Small size of product lowers manufacturing costs Customers will pay a higher price

Justification for Rapid Manufacturing RM must be justified financially Currently, it is a rather expense process Its use can only be justified if it significantly increases product value Value can be increased by reducing production cost or by raising the price that a customer will pay

2. Adding Product Value Value is a measure of worth to a customer Specific functions of a product contribute to the overall product value RM can add value by adding or enhancing one or more functions Need to estimate how much value can be added Also need to know the cost of enhancing the function

Value Index for a Function Functions with the highest value indices should be included in the RM product These will give the greatest return on investment Value can be added in several ways: Value Index = Extra price paid Cost of enhancement

Increased Performance Performance is often directly related to shape e.g. turbine blades RM can produce the optimum geometry Varying material composition can aid performance RM offers the potential for functionally graded material (FGM) composition Increased performance = higher price

Better Ergonomics Ergonomics relates to ease-of-use Includes all aspects of the human-product interface, e.g. handle size Most products aim for a wide range of human sizes – leads to compromises RM enables smaller target groups Individual user-fit can be obtained

Better Ergonomics - example

Improved Aesthetics Aesthetics refers to the impact of a product on the human senses, e.g. overall form, colour, surface texture Conventional manufacture introduces constraints, e.g. split lines RM gives complete geometric freedom Design can be kept closer to original intent

Improved Aesthetics - example

Customisation Tailoring a product design to a specific customer’s requirements Different types of customisation require different solutions Bespoke – every aspect is unique Modularisation – different combination of standard features Personalisation – e.g. colour selection

Types of Customisation Few All Number of customisable features Infinite Number of choices available None Modularisation Personalised product Bespoke product “One size fits all”

Using RM for Customisation RM lends itself to all types of product customisation Best suited to creating an infinite number of feature variations Different performance, aesthetics, user-fit – every product unique in some way Manufacturing batch size of one Some features/components should not be customised, e.g. for safety reasons

Reduced Component Count RM may also be able to make a contribution to reducing costs Separate components are often needed to perform different functions, e.g. fasteners Resultant assembly, storage and administration costs can be very high RM can create multiple function components and “ready assembled” products Not always appropriate, e.g. for servicing requirements

Reduced Component Count - example

3. Example RM Products RM has been applied to a wide range of products at Loughborough University Aim has been to increase value in one or more ways Benefits have included improved aesthetics, component count reduction, optimised load- bearing performance and improved user-fit All projects have been conducted in partnership with industry

Example RM Product – electronic enclosure product

Dashboard Console Project Existing product was injection moulded Housed radio or CD player New product had to house a GPS navigation system

Conceptual Design Manual sketches used as aid to designer Digital sketching used for presentation CAD model developed from an early stage

Particular Design Issues All standard controls had to be accommodated Overall appearance to remain similar Access required to GPS unit controls

Design for Rapid Manufacturing Ability of RM to produce complex geometry was used to create integral cantilever switch mechanisms

Final RM Product

4. Development of Designers’ Tool RM can introduce value-adding features and functions to a product Designers need to know which products would benefit from RM and how it should be applied Recent research at Loughborough is aimed at developing a systematic methodology for designers to follow Using case studies and a questionnaire for designers to answer

Questionnaire – part one Part one asks a series of questions that help to determine the applicability of RM The output is a score that relates to the probability that RM can add value The designer is given advice on how to apply deign for RM depending on the answers given The product is then designed (or re- designed) to be made using RM

Questionnaire – part two Part two requires the designer (and/or customer) to evaluate the design in regard to how well it meets the product specification The original product design or a competitor’s product is used as the baseline against which to measure An evaluation is also made as to how well the new design embodies the principles of design for RM

Progress to Date A pilot version of the methodology has been tested using designers within the university The next stage will be to test the tool on designers from industry

5. Conclusions RM offers a number of advantages to the designer Design changes can be made without incurring associated tooling costs Design customisation becomes a realistic possibility Unlimited geometric freedom aids design for assembly Designer has more freedom to be creative No compromises needed for manufacturability

Conclusions (continued) Design advantages can be converted to added value through addition or enhancement of product features or functions Design for RM depends heavily upon experience and knowledge of the designer – not consistent A designers’ tool to aid in the application of RM is essential RM is not appropriate for every product

Thank you for listening. Any Questions?