Eduardo Romeiro Filho

Uma abordagem centrada no usuário para o projeto de máquinas agrícolas de tração animal

Abstract: This paper presents a study conducted as a part of the design of an Animal Traction Sewing Machine using principles related to Usability, Ergonomics, and Antropotechnology focusing on Design for Sustainability (DfS) and product development suitable for the Base of the Pyramid (BoP). The present study provided information for a series of design changes in the equipment in order to improve working conditions in small family farming properties. From this approach to the analysis of an existing implement, ways of adjusting the product are suggested, and a proposal for a novel Animal Traction Sowing Machine is presented. Keywords: Ergonomics. Antropotechnology. Animal traction sowing machine. Product design. Design for sustainability. Design for the base of the pyramid. Resumo: Este artigo apresenta um estudo realizado como parte do projeto de uma semeadora-adubadora a tracao animal, utilizando principios relacionados a disciplinas como Usabilidade, Ergonomia e Antropotecnologia, dentro de uma perspectiva de

A contribuição da análise ergonômica ao projeto do produto voltado para a reciclagem

This paper presents an analysis of the manual disassembly for product recycling. The Ergonomics Activity Analysis of the recyclers is used as a tool of support to the Design for Environment, through the evaluation of the disassembly difficulty of the product. Of the economic point of view, the disassembly of the product must be executed with a minimum cost, to make possible the recycling that, taking care of to the requirements of the industries, includes sufficiently complex activities for separation of the components. These strategies of disassembly and the conditions of work of the involved ones in these processes can be taken in consideration in the initial phases of the design product, what it would bring benefits to the recyclers, the industries and, in last analysis, to the proper environment. The case study was performed at the Association of Collectors of Paper, Cardboard and Reusable Materials (ASMARE, and has its focus in the analysis of the disassembly of containers made of Polyethylene Terepthalate (Pet). The study demonstrates that the analysis of the difficulties derived from the activity of the product disassembly supplies ways identifies characteristics of the product, defined in project, that intervene with the disassembly.

As práticas de sistemas CAD e sua contribuição: um survey na indústria metal-mecânica mineira

This article has the objective to expose the accomplishments of a descriptive survey for the evaluation of the use of CAD (Computer Aided Design) systems in product projects in organizations of the metal-mechanic sector in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. As a result of the survey, differences were observed between the CAD applications described in the literature on CAD systems in Product Design and the project practices aided by computer in the researched organizations as a result of specific characteristics of the area and the studied sector. On the other hand, the results show that problems presented in the literature review are the same ones observed in the industries, what can indicate an improvement possibility to CAD applications, through an adequate approach.

Design and Craftsmanship: The Brazilian Experience

Introduction According to the Brazilian Ministry of Commerce and Industry, about 8.5 million people are linked to the production of craftworks in Brazil.1 Various governmental programs encourage groups of small community businesses and craftspeople to develop partnerships and associations, to seek new solutions for increasing both the target audience reached and their entrepreneurial skills, and to add value to their crafted products. These different actions seek to bring significant contributions to the production processes characterized by craftsmanship—contributions that enhance economic and socio-cultural development in these production areas, and that often introduce design principles into the creation of traditional products. In most cases, designers start by meeting the group of craftspeople, developing proposals for new designs and incorporating innovations; they finish by providing the group with a series of new alternatives for production process. However, this process suffers from limitations that often translate into a return to the starting point. Introducing foreign elements to the population’s cultural tradition (e.g., new designs, different products, or advanced technologies) can also bring new problems. In this case, the former craft processes are displaced, and the effective improvement of community life conditions is not guaranteed. This situation persists despite the large number of programs developed and the strong institutional and financial support from various levels of Brazilian government. In our experience as a research group involved with communities of craftspeople and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Brazil, we have observed some common aspects, even in diverse situations, that can explain the relative failure in the intervention methodology adopted by governmental programs focused on craftsmanship. In these programs, we see a lack of continuity of actions, including a post-intervention assessment and the critical analysis arising there from, thus reducing the number of local references (e.g., traditional products) for new designs.2 Moreover, craftsmanship production suffers today from an apparent paradox: While the demand for handmade products grows quickly, the 1 Ana Luiza Cerqueira Freitas, Design e Artesanato: Uma Experiencia de Insercao da Metodologia de Projeto do Produto (Design and Craftsmanship: An Experience of Product Design Methodology Insertion) (Sao Paulo: Blucher Academico, 2011), 24. 2 Beatriz Martins da Costa Furtado de Oliveira “A Intervencao Governamental em Arranjos Produtivos Locais: Uma Analise a Partir da Engenharia de Producao.” (“The Governmental Intervention in Local Productive Arrangements: An Analyses on Industrial Engineering Approach”) (Master’s diss., Federal University of Minas Gerais, 2007).