, Engineering product design and manufacture is the process of
Affeff~~ transforming a user- or market-driven need for a new or revised design
This itvi,it will be into a commercial product that addresses this need. To turn design
~ssessed by ~vi, ex:ter~L ideas into viable products, engineers need to consider the requirements
si<.pervised t~sk set by of the user and any relevant regulatory standards to generate concepts,
and then use their knowledge of materials, components and engineering
Pe~rsovi,.
principles to produce effective solutions.
This unit covers the triggers that motivate the need for new designs,
potential challenges to and constraints on your design, how to specify
what you want from your product, the use of iterative processes
to develop an effective solution, and how to analyse, validate and
communicate your work.
How you will be assessed
This unit will be assessed under supervised conditions. ~ You can make recommendations and proposals
Two weeks before a supervised assessment period, you relevant to familiar and unfamiliar situations, taking into
will be provided with an externally set case study. You consideration sustainability and safety issues.
will be allowed to carry out three hours of independent ~ You are able to make an evaluation of your design
preparatory research on the case study and then use this proposal and provide technical justifications in
information in the assessment. validation of your design solution.
The supervised assessment period is ten hours, and this For an award of Distinction you will need to show:
can be broken down into a number of sessions over a
~ A thorough knowledge and understanding of
three-week period. During the supervised assessment
iterative design methodologies, processes, features
period you will complete a task in which you will be
and procedures and their application to engineering
expected to follow a standard development process of
products in context.
interpreting a brief, scoping initial design ideas, preparing a
~ You can interpret a design brief to generate complex
design proposal and evaluating your proposal.
design ideas and can apply a range of skills and
Your completed assessment will then be forwarded to techniques to develop modified products in context,
Pearson for marking. The maximum number of marks for with justification for the design decisions.
the assessment is 60.
~ You can use comprehensive research and analytical
To achieve a Pass, a learner is expected to demonstrate skills to create a product design specification that fully
these attributes across the essential content of the unit: and effectively meets the requirements of the brief.
~ You demonstrate knowledge and understanding of ~ You can make justified recommendations and proposals
iterative design methodologies, processes, features and for familiar and unfamiliar situations, taking into
procedures and their application to engineering products. consideration sustainability and safety issues.
~ You can interpret a design brief to generate ideas and ~ You are able to select appropriate techniques and
use a range of skills and techniques to develop modified processes to design ideas and can justify applications in
products in context. arriving at creative, feasible and optimised solutions.
~ You can use research and analytical skills to create a ~ You are able to make a robust evaluation of your design
product design specification to meet the requirements proposal and provide detailed technical justifications in
of the brief. validation of your design solution.
10 Engineering Product Design and Manufacture
, Getting to know your unit UNIT 3
This table outlines the skills and knowledge you will need to demonstrate through the m
~
assessment. cr.9.
~
Ill
Ill
Assessment outcomes ::::! .
~
OQ
AOl Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of engineering products and design -0
A02 Apply knowledge and understanding of engineering methodologies, processes, features 0
0...
and procedures to iterative design c
n
.-+
A03 Analyse data and information and make connections between engineering concepts,
processes, features, procedures, materials, standards and regulatory requirements
A04 Evaluate engineering product design ideas, manufacturing processes and other design
choices
AOS Be able to develop and communicate reasoned design solutions with appropriate
justification
The following table outlines the areas of essential content with which you will need to
be familiar before you take the assessment.
Essential content
A Design triggers, challenges, constraints and opportunities, and materials and
processes
Al Design triggers
A2 Design challenges
A3 Equipment-level and system-level constraints and opportunities
A4 Material properties
AS Mechanical power transmission
A6 Manufacturing processes
8 Interpreting a brief into operational requirements and analysing existing
products
81 Design for a customer
82 Regulatory constraints and opportunities
83 Market analysis
84 Performance analysis
85 Manufacturing analysis
C Using an iterative process to design ideas and develop a modified product
proposal
Cl Design proposals
C2 Communicating designs
C3 Iterative development process
D Technical justification and validation ofthe design solution
Dl Statistical methods
02 Validating designs
11 1
, Getting started
Work in groups to list all the things you might want from a particular
product. Write down what you think these requirements might mean in
terms of the decisions the designer would make - consider the cost of
manufacturing the product, the materials used, the product's strength and
durability, its sustainability and reliability, and so on.
I Design triggers, challenges, constraints and
opportunities, and materials and processes
A1 Design triggers
The initiation of a new product does not normally happen spontaneously.
Generally, there will be some sort of trigger that motivates a new design activity.
Market pull or technology push
Market pull
Market pull refers to the development of new designs based on a need for either a
completely new product to meet some demand or an improved product to address
customer dissatisfaction with existing products. In the automotive market, for
example, customers are always looking for better fuel economy, greater comfort and
improved safety; as a result, manufacturers tend to focus on these areas.
The identification of these needs may be through informal customer feedback, such
as sales agents chatting with customers, or more formal market research. Market
pull can also arise from the pressure to upgrade a product in response to competitor
developments.
Customer feedback and market research can be used to identify areas of the
market where a new product with the correct characteristics could make an impact.
By definition they indicate what customers want, so if this can be delivered as required
and on time, a commercially successful product should result.
Market pull does, however, have its limitations. Customers may be able to identify a
need, but the technology to turn this need into a real product may still be some way
off. For example, there may be market demand for a hoverboard or teleportation
device, but if it cannot be produced with current technology, then it will not become
reality. Designers also have to carefully consider the timeliness of the need - customer
demands may change or even be completely superseded over the product's
development cycle, so that the engineering company may end up giving the customer
what they wanted three years ago, not what they want now.
Technology push
Technology push refers to the development of new designs made possible by the
introduction of new processes or technologies. In the case of manufacturing, it may
mean that products can be produced much more cost-effectively, reliably or to a
greater precision than was previously possible. Technological advances may also allow
new features and functions to be incorporated into a product. For example, advances
in electronics, sensors and touchscreens have led to the emergence of a completely
new market in smartphones and tablets since 2010.
12 Engineering Product Design and Manufacture
