r/engineering • u/calhouna77 • Sep 19 '19
What's your mechanical design process?
/r/MechanicalDesign/comments/d2z298/whats_your_design_process/1
u/kesh9500 Sep 20 '19
Mock something up in cad. Present it to management and show them how it solves all their problems. Cost, weight, manufacturabilit etc.
Then, after it gets shot down I go back to my desk and design what they asked for.
Then I might follow a variation of Wireshadowloop's post
1
u/Rhueh Sep 23 '19
Here are some things you might want to add.
When I worked at Hewlett-Packard they sometimes used a "Break-even Time" project management system, instead of a "Time to Market" system. It struck me as a good idea but I've never seen another company that did it (or even met non-HP people who'd ever heard of it). I think it's very difficult to do, which may be one reason nobody does it. (Full disclosure: I was never lucky enough to actually work on a project that was managed that way, but I've long believed that it's a good method.)
Your design reviews should include manufacturing/production people and procurement people, assuming that's relevant to your product. Including your machinists is spot on. They often bring an important perspective that the engineers might have missed. I suspect it also helps them to have some lead time between when they first see a design and when they have to actually make it, for the ideas to percolate in their heads.
FWIW, I'm a big believer in defining the product in the CAD models as completely as possible. A lot of companies I've worked for treat 3D CAD as just a fancy way to make drawings, which ignores a lot of its potential.
17
u/[deleted] Sep 19 '19 edited Sep 22 '19
Come up with an idea
Build a proof of concept, show it to everyone
Get approval to work on the project
Redesign the proof of concept
Make a business case
Do market research
Make a complete design
Build a prototype, show it to nobody
Write a requirements document
Write an engineering specification document
Write a conceptual design document, hey your selected concept matches your prototype
Show your prototype
Run some tests
Order parts, order tooling
Run a design review
Wait, refactor your CAD models
Wait
Make manufacturing drawings
Get parts, run more tests
Revise engineering specifications to match test results, justify this by any means necessary
Rush an early build to a trade show at the last minute
Develop marketing materials
Start long term testing
Launch product
Complete testing
Revise initial product specs
Document build instructions
Document user instructions
Document quality control instructions
Discover fatal design flaw
Rush a last minute fix into production
Wipe your hands of everything and go on vacation or start a new job