Jouke Verlinden

Optimal Design for Additive Manufacturing: Opportunities and Challenges

Additive Manufacturing (AM) represents a maturing collection of production technologies also known as rapid prototyping, rapid manufacturing and three-dimensional printing. One of the most promising aspects of AM is the possibility to create highly complex geometries. Despite a growing body of knowledge concerning the technological challenges, there is a lack of methods that allow designers to effectively deal with the new possibilities. This article presents a literature survey on the impact that AM can have on design. The survey was focused on the new opportunities of fabrication processes, the relationship between structure and performance, and optimization approaches. We applied Olsen’s three-link chain model to relate product structure with performance, linked by strength, stiffness, compliance, dynamic, thermal, and visual properties. We also use this model to base our proposed Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) method. The findings show that there is a growing body of knowledge in the field of design for AM (DfAM), yet only considers a subset of properties. Furthermore, the knowledge on materials, computational optimization, computer aided design, and behavioral simulation embody separated domains and related software support. This is in contrast with design engineering, which requires a holistic approach to conceptualize new products.

Skills for effective communication and work in global product development teams

This paper presents a systematic discussion of the specifics of communication and work within a virtual development team, which is of crucial importance for competitiveness in the course of globalization. With advances in technology, work within virtual teams is gaining ever-greater importance. However, in this process, special knowledge and skills of virtual team members are a greater obstacle than technical equipment. Work within a virtual product development team requires intense communication, which is possible via videoconferencing. The contribution of this paper consists of a set of recommendations on how to develop necessary skills for effective communication and work in virtual development teams. The recommendations can be applied in both university and industrial environments. The paper is based on experiences from the international course on European Global Product Realisation that provided students with initial experiences in working within a global team. The authors believe that skills and technical equipment will need to be constantly supplemented and upgraded so that they will become practically independent of personal meetings (i.e. the distance between team members).

Analyzing opportunities for using interactive augmented prototyping in design practice

Abstract The use of tangible objects is paramount in industrial design. Throughout the design process physical prototypes are used to enable exploration, simulation, communication, and specification of designs. Although much is known about prototyping skills and technologies, the reasons why and how such models are employed in design practice are poorly understood. Advanced techniques and design media such as virtual and augmented prototyping are being introduced without insight as to their benefits. We believe that an augmented prototyping system, that is, employing augmented reality technology to combine physical and digital representations, could positively influence the design process. However, we lack knowledge on why and how it might facilitate design. This paper reports on case studies performed in different domains of industrial design. At each of three Dutch design offices, a project was followed with particular attention to physical prototyping and group activities. The projects encompassed information appliance design, automotive design, and interior design. Although the studies vary in many aspects (product domain, stakeholders, duration), the findings can be applied in conceptualizing advanced prototyping systems to support industrial design. Furthermore, the data reveal that the roles of a prototype in current practice are not necessarily utilitarian; for example, the prototype may serve as a conversation piece or as seducer. Based on so-called “hints,” bottlenecks and best practices concerning concept articulation are linked to usage scenarios for augmented tangible prototyping. The results point to modeling and communication scenarios. Detailed study of the cases indicates that communication activities, especially design reviews, would benefit most from interactive augmented prototyping.

A CRITICAL SYSTEMS POSITION ON AUGMENTED PROTOTYPING SYSTEMS FOR INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

In order to assess usability and impact of new Augmented Reality based prototyping technologies in industrial design engineering, we are carrying out a multiple case study. We focus on shortcomings in current (physical) prototypes and bottlenecks in the design process, which might present to cues for new Augmented Prototyping technologies. However, tracking and categorizing these bottlenecks is difficult, attention has to be given on the complete scope of prototyping use and its value towards design. A method was devised to capture bottlenecks in concept uttering, based on Critical Systems Thinking; identifying functionalist, interpretive, emancipatory, postmodern views tunes the researcher’s view to uses of advanced prototyping means that have impact on the complete design process.Copyright

Demarcating advanced learning approaches from methodological and technological perspectives

In the field of design and engineering education, the fast and expansive evolution of information and communication technologies is steadily converting traditional learning approaches into more advanced ones. Facilitated by Broadband (high bandwidth) personal computers, distance learning has developed into web-hosted electronic learning. The emergence of portable communication devices, wireless, and ad hoc networks has enabled electronic learning to develop into mobile and ubiquitous learning. In the literature there is a fuzziness in terms of the concepts and goals of these advanced learning solutions, mainly because the technological platforms and methodological approaches are not clearly distinguished. This paper attempts to demarcate them based on the level of flexibility in processing courseware and the extent of blending technological heterogeneity. These descriptors allowed us to highlight their differences, not only in terms of the types of interaction devices and communication platforms, but also in terms of the development and manner of using advanced learning solutions. What this paper goes on to illuminate is that by the process of the demarcation based upon the level of flexibility in processing courseware and the extent of blending technological heterogeneity, a more rational, useful and common understanding can be developed.

Animaris Geneticus Parvus

Purpose – This paper investigates how designers exploit the full potential of additive manufacturing (AM). AM yields a broad range of advantageous properties including the possibility to fabricate mechanical multi-body structures. Design/methodology/approach – This case study explores the possibilities and limitations in designing mechanical multi-body structures for AM, focused on the development of a selective laser sintering (SLS) version of Theo Jansen’s “Strandbeest” walking mechanism, dubbed Animaris Geneticus Parvus (AGP). We discuss the design process and considerations involved and attempt to distill design guidelines. Findings – Novel structural solutions were developed to enable SLS fabrication of the AGP, specifically cross-shaped pivot pins, increased clearance between bodies, spacing studs, restricting axial play with pins, partial disassemblies and increased clearance around extremities. The result is a functioning walking mechanism of 74 components can be fabricated at once without human i...

Which prototype to augment? a retrospective case study on industrial and user interface design

Emerging augmented reality and tangible user interface techniques offer great opportunities towards delivering rich, interactive prototypes in product development. However, as most of these are evaluated outside the complexity of. Design practice, little is known about the impact of these prototypes on the resulting product or the process. As a part of a larger multiple-case study approach, this study attempts to explore cues to characterize and improve the design practice of information appliances by performing a retrospective case study. The development of a handheld digital oscilloscope was chosen as an exemplar, embodying complexity in both form giving, interaction and engineering aspects. Although some of the employed techniques have grown obsolete, reflection on this development project still forecasts interesting and useful issues that should be considered while developing new design support methods and techniques.

Bridging the multiple reality gap: Application of augmented reality in new product development

Increased product complexity and internal team dynamics pose serious challenges to the quality of collaboration, usually reflected upon long delays, cost overruns and poor design quality during product development. Our focus is to study the factors that drive collaboration, shared understanding and team learning in product development in order to investigate new tools to facilitate this process. The present paper provides the theoretical framework to experiment with novel collaborative tools like Augmented Reality in the product development setting. The core argument is that Augmented Reality technologies act as a catalyst to the communication between the various stakeholders. The main idea behind this work is a dynamic investigation on the nature of collaboration in product development teams, through a socio-cognitive lens. The basic focus of this work is to connect insights from the social sciences to collaborative design and visualization technologies.

On the Framework of Information Processing in a Hand Motion Based Shape Conceptualization System

In the computer support of conceptual design hand motions can be effectively used to express shapes and shape related operations. The development of these systems are challenging because of the special characteristics of conceptual design, such under-determinism, need of fast feedback and support of collaboration. This paper proposes a framework for information processing in a system, where a collaborating team of designers use hand motions to conceptualize shapes of various products. We separated the functions of the system into four groups: (1) data acquisition, where the hand motions are tracked as motion trajectories of dedicated joints of the hands and arms, (2) information completion, where the motion trajectories are processed and additional information is generated with the help of an upper limb model, (3) information conversion, where the motion trajectories are converted to surface information or shape manipulation operation and (4) visualization, where the generated surface is presented to the user. The modules of the system and the information flows were defined. A feasibility study was completed to qualify the alternative solutions for operational criteria. Measures were defined to describe the criteria and indices were created to enable a comparison. We concluded that (1) the criteria of each function should be fulfilled with regards to the final goal and (2) when multiple criteria are defined for each function, they may have an effect on each other, which has to be considered when selecting an optimal solution. Future research will focus on the software implementation of the proposed framework.Copyright

Exploring Conceptual Design Using a Clay-Based Wizard of Oz Technique

Abstract This paper describes the design and results of an explorative experiment done in the field of industrial design engineering. It extends the Wizard of Oz test technique by using clay as a feedback medium. The subject communicates with speech and gestures, the result is shown on a video screen. The experiment included 4 senior engineering students, each had to model four existing objects and then received a design assignment. The conclusions are that the method is applicable for simulating a multimodal design system, although there are some limitations regarding the direct manipulation of the artefact.