Jörn Niehuesbernd

The Result: A New Design Paradigm

One of the key challenges faced by engineers is finding, concretizing, and optimizing solutions for a specific technical problem in the context of requirements and constraints (Pahl et al. 2007). Depending on the technical problem’s nature, specifically designed products and processes can be its solution with product and processes depending on each other. Although products are usually modeled within the context of their function, consideration of the product’s life cycle processes is also essential for design. Processes of the product’s life cycle concern realization of the product (e.g., manufacturing processes), processes that are realized with the help of the product itself (e.g., use processes) and processes at the end of the product’s life cycle (recycling or disposal). Yet, not just product requirements have to be considered during product development, as requirements regarding product life cycle processes need to be taken into account, too. Provision for manufacturing process requirements plays an important role in realizing the product’s manufacturability, quality, costs, and availability (Chap. 3). Further life cycle demands, such as reliability, durability, robustness, and safety, result in additional product and life cycle process requirements. Consequently, the engineer’s task of finding optimal product and process solutions to solve a technical problem or to fulfill a customer need is characterized by high complexity, which has to be handled appropriately (Chaps. 5 and 6).

Manufacturing Induced Properties: Determination, Understanding, and Beneficial Use

Based on its procedural principle, every manufacturing technology affects a variety of properties of the workpiece or product in a characteristic way (Sect. 2.3). The sum of all those properties which comprise geometrical as well as material-related ones is considered as manufacturing-induced properties. While the geometric manufacturing-induced properties are often the reason why a specific technology is chosen by the designer for the manufacturing of a certain product, the material-related manufacturing-induced properties are often seen as by-products of the process. With regard to metal forming, all manufacturing processes inherently influence the mechanical properties of the manufactured material. In many cases, these mechanical manufacturing-induced properties are merely regarded in terms of restrictions in product development. However, with respect to a manufacturing-integrated product development approach, the mechanical properties are of special interest, since we aim at utilizing their full potential to maximize the product performance.