Industrial Design & Production: Process & Project Management
Unit 10 Introduction
The design of goods is more complex than it seems. Design defines appearance and incorporates factors affecting product viability: functionality, economy, materials, technology, and manufacturability.
1. Industrial Design
Industrial design considers all aspects of production, including technological data, user interaction, benefits, ergonomics, and product significance to enhance utility and aesthetics.
1.1. Design and Communication Theory
Industrial design involves systems analysis, semiotics, linguistics, and computer science. Key concepts include:
- Information: The message conveyed, i.e., the product.
- Communication: Information exchange between sender (designer) and receiver (user).
- Intelligibility: Message clarity.
- Redundancy: Measures message complexity.
- Code: Rules for message encoding and decoding.
- Complexity: Structural and functional.
- Means: Transmission system.
1.2. Types of Industrial Design
Industrial design focuses on new products or modifications:
A) New Product Design: Innovation is crucial for market competitiveness.
B) Existing Product Modification: Considers product lifecycle stages:
- Release/Introduction
- Growth
- Maturity
Strategies for modification include:
- Quality improvement
- Value enhancement
- Style improvement
1.3. Management, Design, and Methods
Design processes start with a problem and involve:
- Project management
- Design process
- Methods
1.3.1. Project Management Phases
A) Idea Conception:
- Feasibility study (conceptual specifications)
- Preliminary studies (synthesis and analysis)
B) Completion:
- Detailed studies (technical specifications)
- Realization (prototype or series)
- Evaluation (testing and marketing)
1.3.2. Design Process
- Problem identification
- Analysis
- Synthesis
- Validation/Evaluation
1.3.3. Methods
- Project management methods
- Control methods (Gantt, PERT)
- Strategic management
2. Production Process of Goods
Production follows industrial design and creates goods and services.
2.1. Classification of Production Processes
A) Human Intervention:
- Manual
- Mechanical
- Automatic
B) Product Tangibility:
- Intangible (services)
- Tangible (manufacturing)
C) Temporal Continuity:
- Continuous (mass production)
- Intermittent (periodic)
2.2. Continuous vs. Intermittent Production
A) Continuous: Standardized products in large quantities.
B) Intermittent: Customized production based on customer orders.
2.3. Quality Control
ISO-9000 standards ensure product quality through planned actions and quality plans.
2.4. European Quality Management Model
EFQM promotes quality improvement through self-assessment and awards.
2.5. Planning
Organizing demand forecasting and production factors for optimal results.
3. Technical School Project Characteristics
Teaching methods based on experience using the scientific method:
- Hypothesis formulation
- Observation
- Experimentation
- Hypothesis testing
- Explanation development
Projects are problem-solving mechanisms for active learning.
3.1. Project Classification
A) Project/Wiring: Teacher-defined problem and conditions.
B) Semi-Draft: Teacher-defined problem with multiple solutions.
C) Free Project: Student-defined problem and solutions.
3.2. Technology Phase
3.2.1. Previous Issues
A) Problem Statement: Real or simulated situations.
B) Information Gathering: Essential for learning.
3.2.2. Design
- Assembly sketches
- Part sketches
- Scale drawings
- Material assessment
3.2.3. Planning
- Define operations
- Distribute tasks
- Tools and materials
- Work plan
- Budget
- Ordering
3.3. Technique Phase
- Manufacturing and control
- Assembly
- Final testing
3.4. Progress Assessments
Documentation and evaluation of the entire process.