Need Finding for the Development of a Conceptional, Engineering- Driven Framework for Improved Product Documentation

AbstractEngineering companies that develop advanced products in multi-disciplinary new product development (NPD) teams, have difficulties in managing, communicating, and (re)using knowledge in and between NPD projects. Information is lost due to team dynamics, inappropriate documentation and methods, resulting in unnecessary design iterations, repeated problem-solving, lack of effectiveness and value, and low financial performance. It is, therefore, desirable to develop a documentation model that can be integrated into different engineering processes and used to effectively communicate product information within a single project and between projects, combining strategies from product design methodology, model-based systems engineering, and lean development. It is necessary to combine the most recent product (systems) engineering methods with the understanding of problems and needs in industrial environments where they shall be applied. This paper presents results of need finding in four companies using a semi-structured interview approach to gain insight into problems associated with product documentation. The findings are turned into a conceptual engineering-driven product documentation framework, which links documentation to the product architecture using knowledge-brief (A3) type documentation strategies from lean execution environments

Forming-based geometric correction methods for thin-walled metallic components:a selective review

Geometric correction processes contribute to zero-defect manufacturing for improved product quality. Thin-walled metallic components are widely used in numerous applications such as electric vehicles and aircraft due to the lightweight feature, facilitating to achieve zero-emission goals. However, many components suffer geometric imperfections and inaccuracies such as undesired curvatures and twists, seriously affecting subsequent manufacturing operations, for example, automatic welding and assembly. Geometric correction techniques have been established to address these issues, but they have drawn little attention in the scientific community despite their wide applications and urgent demands in the industry. Due to the strict geometric tolerances demanded in high-volume automated production, it is urgent to increase the knowledge needed to develop new techniques to address future industrial challenges. This review paper presents an overview of typical geometric defects in thin-walled components and clarifies the associated underlying generation mechanisms. Attempts have also been made to discuss and categorize geometric correction techniques based on different forming mechanisms. The challenges in correcting complex thin-walled products are discussed. This review paper also provides researchers and engineers with directions to find and select appropriate geometric correction methods to achieve high geometric accuracy for thin-walled metallic components.</p

Applying lean thinking to risk management in product development

This paper re-conceptualizes risk management (RM) in product development (PD) through a lean thinking perspective. Arguably, risk management in PD projects became a victim of its own success. It is often implemented as a highly formalized, compliance driven activity, ending up disconnected from the actual value creation of the engineering task. Cost overrun, delay and low quality decision making is common in product development processes even if RM processes are in place. Product development is about reaching project objectives by gradually reducing uncertainty, but often fail to do so without delay or cost overrun. This paper explores the relationship between product development and risk management and proposes to make RM an integrated value adding part of PD. Through a literature review we identify the potential of re-conceptualizing RM through lean thinking. We then conceptualize an outline of how one could apply lean thinking to RM to create a simple, value focused and consensusforming perspective on how to make RM a meaningful part of PD

On Knowledge-based Development: How Documentation Practice Represents a Strategy for Closing Tolerance Engineering Loops

AbstractKnowledge from multiple sources is required for defining tolerances in new product development (NPD). Successful outcomes in product development (PD) depend on the collective ability to integrate this knowledge into the product. Assessing variability and tolerance capabilities are essential parts of PD-knowledge as they represent limits of specifications with wide-ranging impact. Reducing the engineers time spend on (re)defining tolerances and searching for the right information can prevent substandard NPD performance in terms of quality, lead time, cost and product innovation. Hence, two topics of significant importance for achieving leanness (i.e., effectiveness and efficiency) in PD are towering tolerance knowledge and associated documentation practices. This paper presents the results of a survey among engineering professionals of two industrial companies made to study documentation and tolerance practices in different industrial environments. The results reveal similarities between the challenges that the companies face, including implementation of effective documentation (e.g. Knowledge-Briefs, A3 reports), visualization of physical relationship between product performance attributes and design parameters (e.g. trade-off curves) and the transfer of knowledge between projects for organizational learning. This paper makes a contribution to the body of knowledge related to (lean) NPD by documenting current industrial challenges and practices in achieving viable internal tolerance engineering routines and processes, along with the needs for documentation tools

Prototyping to Leverage Learning in Product Manufacturing Environments

AbstractRooted in the automotive industry, this article discusses the topic of leveraging tacit knowledge through prototyping. After first providing an overview on learning and knowledge, the Socialization, Externalization, Combination and Internalization (SECI) model is discussed in detail, with a clear distinction between tacit and explicit knowledge. Based on this model, we propose a framework for using said reflective and affirmative prototyping in an external vs. internal learning/knowledge capturing and transfer setting. Contextual examples from select automotive manufacturing R&D projects are given to demonstrate the importance and potential in applying more effective strategies for knowledge transformation in engineering design

Local strain energy density to assess the multiaxial fatigue strength of titanium alloys

The present paper investigates the multiaxial fatigue strength of sharp V-notched components made of titanium grade 5 alloy (Ti-6Al-4V). Axisymmetric notched specimens have been tested under combined tension and torsion fatigue loadings, both proportional and non-proportional, taking into account different nominal load ratios (R = -1 and 0). All tested samples have a notch root radius about equal to 0.1 mm, a notch depth of 6 mm and an opening angle of 90 degrees. The fatigue results obtained by applying multiaxial loadings are discussed together with those related to pure tension and pure torsion experimental fatigue tests, carried out on both smooth and notched specimens at load ratios R ranging between -3 and 0.5. Altogether, more than 250 fatigue results (19 S-N curves) are examined, first on the basis of nominal stress amplitudes referred to the net area and secondly by means of the strain energy density averaged over a control volume embracing the V-notch tip. The effect of the loading mode on the control volume size has been analysed, highlighting a wide difference in the notch sensitivity of the considered material under tension and torsion loadings. Accordingly, the control radius of the considered titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) is found to be strongly affected by the loading mode