A3 Problem Solving: is a structured problem solving and continuous improvement approach, first employed at Toyota and typically used by lean manufacturing practitioners. It provides a simple and strict procedure that guides problem solving by workers. The approach typically uses a single sheet of ISO A3 size paper, which is the source of its [...]
Design for Manufacturing (DFM) is the process of designing parts, components or products for ease of manufacturing with an end goal of making a better product at a lower cost. This is done by simplifying, optimizing and refining the product design. The acronym DFMA (Design for Manufacturing and Assembly) is sometimes used interchangeably with DFM. [...]
There are numerous high-profile examples of product recalls resulting from poorly designed products and/or processes. These failures are debated in the public forum with manufacturers, service providers and suppliers being depicted as incapable of providing a safe product. Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, or FMEA, is a methodology aimed at allowing organizations to anticipate [...]
The American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has developed the standards that govern all geometric dimensioning and tolerancing that are used in the automotive industry on all engineering documents and drawings. ASME Y14.5-2009 is the most recent version of this specification. One of the most important roles of design engineers is to explain all the critical dimension and tolerances [...]
A process is a method of shaping, finishing or joining a material. Sand casting, injection molding, fusion welding and polishing are all processes. The choice, for a given component, depends on the material of which it is to be made, on its size, shape and precision, and on how many are required. The Manufacturing [...]
The term Lean manufacturing refers to the application of Lean practices, principles, and tools to the development and manufacture of physical products. Many manufacturers are using Lean manufacturing principles to eliminate waste, optimize processes, cut costs, boost innovation, and reduce time to market in a fast-paced, volatile, ever-changing global marketplace. 25 [...]
Mechanics of materials, deals with the behavior of solid objects subject to stresses and strains. The complete theory began with the consideration of the behavior of one and two dimensional members of structures, whose states of stress can be approximated as two dimensional, and was then generalized to three dimensions to develop a more complete theory of [...]
The charts in this article summarise material properties. Each chart appears with a brief commentary about its use. Background and data sources can be found in the book "Materials Selection in Mechanical Design" 3rd edition, by M.F. Ashby (Elsevier-Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, 2005). The material charts map the areas of property space occupied by each [...]
