... 13.3PART FOURPART FOURDEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENTMcGrawHill/IrwinCopyright ©2006 The McGrawHill Companies, Inc. All right reserved. Product ArchitectureProduct ArchitectureThe process by which a customer need is developed into a product design.Solid architecture improves speed to market, and reduces the cost of changing the product once it is in production.Product components are combined into “chunks,” functional elements are assigned to the chunks, and the chunks are interrelated with each other.Product Architecture and Product Product Architecture and Product PlatformsPlatformsProduct architecture development is related to establishing a product platform.If chunks or modules can be replaced easily within the product architecture, “derivative products” can be made from the same basic platform as technology, market tastes, or manufacturing skills change.Examples: 200 versions of the Sony Walkman from four platforms.Assessment Factors for an Industrial Assessment Factors for an Industrial DesignDesignFigure ... 13.6Improving the Interfaces in the Design Improving the Interfaces in the Design ProcessProcessColocationDigital colocationGlobal teamsProduceability engineerUpstream partnering with vendorsComputerAided Design (CAD)ComputerAided Design (CAD)Greatly accelerates the design step and allows assessment of multiple possible designs without building expensive prototypes.Design for Manufacturability (DFM): search for ways to minimize manufacturing costs.Design for Assembly (DFA): search for ways to ease assembly and manufacture.Rational for DFM: A seemingly trivial detail in design phase might have huge manufacturing cost consequences later on!Some of the Uses of CAD in Auto Some of the Uses of CAD in Auto IndustryIndustryDetermining fit of subassemblies: does the radio/CD player protrude too far into the engine area?Facilitating “decking” of cars (attaching the powertrain to the upper body): do all the pieces fit together perfectly?Crashworthiness: can we modify any aspects of the car’s design to improve its ability to protect the passengers in a crash?New Developments in CADNew Developments in CADStereolithography (rapid prototyping)Mechanical computeraided engineering (MCAE)DevelopmentDevelopmentFigure ... 13.6Improving the Interfaces in the Design Improving the Interfaces in the Design ProcessProcessColocationDigital colocationGlobal teamsProduceability engineerUpstream partnering with vendorsComputerAided Design (CAD)ComputerAided Design (CAD)Greatly accelerates the design step and allows assessment of multiple possible designs without building expensive prototypes.Design for Manufacturability (DFM): search for ways to minimize manufacturing costs.Design for Assembly (DFA): search for ways to ease assembly and manufacture.Rational for DFM: A seemingly trivial detail in design phase might have huge manufacturing cost consequences later on!Some of the Uses of CAD in Auto Some of the Uses of CAD in Auto IndustryIndustryDetermining fit of subassemblies: does the radio/CD player protrude too far into the engine area?Facilitating “decking” of cars (attaching the powertrain to the upper body): do all the pieces fit together perfectly?Crashworthiness: can we modify any aspects of the car’s design to improve its ability to protect the passengers in a crash?New Developments in CADNew Developments in CADStereolithography (rapid prototyping)Mechanical computeraided engineering (MCAE)DevelopmentDevelopmentFigure...