JUNE 1997
Volume 3 • Number 1
PRODUCT
DESIGNERS TALK SHOP
We
asked two experienced product designers to discuss the art and
science of introducing a new product, or revamping a flagging
one. Bert Straus, principal of A.E. Straus Design in Erie, shares
30 years of industrial design experience for clients that include
Hoover Universal, GE, and Autoclave Engineers. James Fraser earlier
this year was named manager of Corporate Acquisitions for Lord
Corp. Mechanical Products Division. Previously he was manager
of Market and Technology Development.
Q: What's
your philosophical approach to product development?
Straus:
There are two approaches to product design: creating a brand
new product, and redesigning an existing product. The best approach
to product design is to not make a judgment too early in the process.
Keep your options open. The end goal, of course, is to have a
product that is aesthetically pleasing, stacks up against the
competition, and excites consumers. Industrial design attempts
to predict the use of the product blended with the behavior of
the user. Good design basically starts with a very thorough understanding
of the problem, including performance criteria. Ideally, you meet
those criteria, and then exceed them.
Fraser:
All products have a life cycle: birth, growth, maturity, decline.
If companies don't develop new products to replace those in decline,
the company itself will go into decline. New product success depends
on teamwork. Engineering or marketing alone can't be responsible;
teams of representatives from all departments make the launch
of a new product go much more smoothly. I like to take the funnel
approach to new products. Visualize a funnel—that's where the
team throws its ideas. At different points in the funnel are screens,
or what I call "go/no go" points. One screen would be engineering
feasibility: Does this product adhere to the laws of physics and
chemistry? If you answer yes to that question, the idea continues
down the narrowing end of the funnel. Do we have the manufacturing
capability to create the product? This is another screening question
that helps you decide if the idea is a go, or a no go. By the
way, research has show that about 58 ideas need to be generated
to produce one successful product.
Q: How
do you jump-start sales of an existing product?
Straus:
Companies need to constantly think about the next evolution of
their products, which is best done by listening to customers and
market research. Do it now—if you wait until sales fall off, it's
too late.
Fraser:
A new product doesn't have to be new to the world — you can make
an existing product a "platform" for something new and appealing.
It might be a new color or a slight change that drives the next
generation of product. One example is the Kodak disposable camera.
That became the platform for the disposable with a flash, the
waterproof disposable, the wedding package disposable . . . it's
very effective marketing.
Q: What's
your advice to plastic processors?
Straus:
Ally yourself with OEMs and designers who aren't necessarily schooled
in plastics. You'll help bring them into the world of plastics,
and derive a monetary benefit.
Fraser:
Stay close to the market and your customers, and work to identify
new uses for plastics—things like auto bumpers and bodies, which
were once made entirely of steel. Plastics people have a wealth
of opportunity just looking for new ways to use plastics.
Back
To Top
HOW
WE'RE WORKING FOR YOU: PTDC Offers Art-To-Part Outsourcing Advantage
"Timing
is crucial to product success, and increasing speed-to-market
is a constant goal of any product development team. The first
product to market usually takes the lion's share of the profits,
more than the second and third combined." — Geoff Engelstein,
GR Technical Services, Inc.
Product
design and development never really happens in clearly defined
stages, but there are certain commonalties. The first stage typically
involves a concept for a new product. Whether the idea is based
on an existing product, a newly conceived line of products, or
an altogether original concept, market research must be conducted.
This determines the fit of the product in the market, and the
timing necessary to meet market needs.
PTDC
support allows a client's concept to be overlapped with the initial
design and development stages. The fresh approaches and unbiased
perspectives of the PTDC's experienced staff help define the product,
minimize the number of pieces needing assembly, and optimize the
design based on preliminary criteria. Concepts, sketches, brainstorming,
2D drawings, 3D solid models, and photorealistic renderings are
just a few of the services offered by the PTDC during the initial
product development stage. These services help manufacturers create
a successful product the first time out.
Even
the greatest idea, if properly developed, poses challenges for
success. Working with the PTDC substantially reduces your risk
based on access to our staff talent and skills, and the most advanced
plastics design technology available.
We
can also take the next steps with you. Typically, PTDC clients
create a prototype to test form, fit and function before sending
the design off to a large-scale manufacturing process where mistakes
or changes could be disastrous. Prototyping services offered through
the PTDC include StereoLithography (SLA), laminated object manufacturing
(LOM), fused deposition modeling (FDM), urethane molding, epoxy
tooling, and selective laser sintering. These prototyping capabilities
allow you to incorporate modifications in the beginning of the
product development cycle. Costly changes during the production
process are eliminated, which speeds time to market, reduces resource
expenses, and increases overall profits.
The
PTDC offers its clients many advantages:
- Reduced
time to market
- Access
to the latest technological advances
- Opportunity
to evaluate leading edge design technologies
- Lower
capital investments
- Higher
quality products
Call
the PTDC today for more detailed information about our plastic
product design and development services. Contact Larry Partch,
Technical Director, at (814) 898-6122 or e-mail lepl06@psu.edu.
Isn't it time you stepped up development with the most efficient
process and advanced technology available?
-
Theresa Warner, Engineer
Back
To Top
BAD
CHOICES CAN COST THOUSANDS: Data Acquisition Consulting Services
Offered
If
money is time, data acquisition helps plastics processors make
more of both.
The
PTDC now offers research and consulting services for companies
investigating data acquisition, or the ability to monitor in real-time
process variables such as temperature, pressure, and cycle time.
"The
benefits of data acquisition are numerous," says PTDC engineer
Jeff Readel. "It allows you to actively see if good parts are
being made while they are still in processing. Because the data
is recorded, if a part should fail in the field, you can look
back at all the variables associated with it and make the needed
fixes. And, it can be invaluable in time and materials management,
since you can accurately track both."
Data acquisition hardware and software choices are also numerous,
which is why the PTDC offers its services as an independent, unbiased
consultant able to help companies decide which packages best meet
individual need. "Unfortunately, data acquisition packages are
not something you buy off the shelf," says Readel, a computer
engineer by training. "If you start down the wrong path, you can
lose thousands and thousands of dollars. I look at all the different
hardware and software, and help clients select an optimum solution."
Readel can be reached at (814) 898-7160.
Back
To Top
MEMO
TO MANUFACTURERS: BECOMING NIMBLE, RAPIDLY
Rapid prototyping and rapid tooling increasingly
stand out as areas of need for PTDC clients. The expression "rapid"
seems to be standard in everyone's business vocabulary—from the
boardroom to the process engineer to the product designer to the
customer (our clients notwithstanding!)
Rapid
prototyping is a key asset in effective product development. In
the past, prototyping was accomplished by taking an existing product
and cannibalizing it to make "improvements." Prototypes were machined,
cast, carved, bonded, welded and otherwise assembled from an array
of materials. Many times the result was a fragile output commanding
an extraordinary price. But it was something to touch, something
to feel, and, if you were lucky, the part could be evaluated for
form, fit, and function. Too often, the prototype was either substandard
or cost prohibitive.
Rapid
prototyping has come of age through wider use of 3D computer-aided
design systems. The use of 3D-CAD data now makes it possible to
interface with unique prototyping systems, eliminating the traditional
"cut and paste" modeling process. 3D-CAD data readily lends itself
to a simultaneous, rather than sequential, product development
process, and supplies data on manufacturing, marketing, and quality
functions.
Prototyping
continues to occupy a shorter period of the total product development
cycle. Managers and engineers appreciate the latest, user-friendly
prototyping, product and process development systems. You can
convert 3D-CAD designs into photo quality renderings and color
illustrations. At the touch of a button, you can rotate renderings
to show alternate views and perspectives, or change colors, shadings,
or background— a distinct advantage over conventional freehand
illustrations.
Animation
software further enhances 3D-CAD by adding motion and sequencing
to products and processes. Now these designs can be easily understood
by people who might have had difficulty interpreting an engineering
drawing. Another advantage of animation is that digital data can
be used to illustrate a product in service. Many of our clients
have found that "digital imaging" is of most benefit when the
product involves the assembly of many parts, or is of a size that
does not lend itself to cost effective prototyping.
The
pace of change in rapidly developing new or enhanced products
makes it only a matter of time before change occurs in use of
the word "rapid." Maybe next year the buzz word will be "speedy
prototyping." But, I believe quantity without quality is not the
answer. PTDC customers increasingly require speed combined with
agility in product development. But the word "agile" seems to
be used much too frequently these days—how about adopting the
phrase "nimble prototyping" instead?
Whatever
you choose to call it, consider the PTDC to be your
source for nimble prototyping and product development.
-
David Thomas-Greaves, Director
|
