Learning objectives
Knowledge and ability to understand: through the lectures held during the course, the student will acquire the methods and knowledge necessary to understand the principles of industrial design, from the generation of concepts to the detailed design of products and components; will learn to apply the tools for virtual design profitably and to calculate the costs of production and processing.
Applying knowledge and understanding: Through practical exercises in the classroom related to some topics of the program, students will learn how to apply the knowledge acquired in a real context of design, as well as in multidisciplinary or non-family. In particular, the student must apply the knowledge acquired to the design and industrialisation of a product / component, starting from the feasibility study, defining the best production structure and its management, evaluating the possibility of resorting to automated operations in place of manual and reflecting on the process of assembling / disassembling and reusing / recycling of materials in the perspective of the circular economy.
Making judgments: at the end of the course the student will be able to understand and critically evaluate the main methods of design and design in the industrial world (conceptual and detailed design, choice of materials, CAD tools, LCA analysis, green design, value analysis and engineering); using the acquired knowledge will have to analyse existing systems and products by evaluating the performance and adequacy, assessing the impact on the environment and the life cycle, and will have to develop its own solution concepts.
Communication skills: Through the lectures and the comparison with the teacher, the student will acquire the specific vocabulary related to specific terminology, virtual help systems, product lifecycle management. It is expected that, at the end of the course, the student is able to transmit, in oral and written form, the main contents of the course, such as ideas, engineering problems and related solutions. The student must communicate his knowledge with appropriate means, therefore for the resolution of numerical problems we expect the use of tools commonly used in the sector, such as tables, plant diagrams, flow charts, numerical spreadsheets.
Learning skills: The student who has attended the course will be able to deepen their knowledge on the generation of conceptual products and components, implementation, resources used, environmental impact, through the independent consultation of specialised texts, scientific or popular magazines, also outside of the subjects dealt with strictly in class, in order to effectively face integration into the world of work or undertake further training courses.
Prerequisites
Anyone mandatory, however the basic knowledge of mechanical drawing and of strength of materials is suggested.
Furthermore, it is useful to have basic knowledge of 3D CAD computer modeling.
Course unit content
1- Concepts and methods of industrial design, criteria of mechanical, conceptual and detailed design, concepts of stress and resistance of a structural material (metallic or polymeric) will be recalled; the main tools and methods of mechanical assisted design will be introduced, the concepts of Design for assembly, Green Design and circular economy, and durability, quality control, design for quality and TQM; life cycle analysis (LCA) and oriented design (Design for X); the design for the cost and the recent Value Analysis and Engineering will be introduced.
2- The development of a product and a process, where the phases of the development process will be recalled, the stage and gate model, the types and planning of new products; Conjoint Analysis will also be discussed and elements of Industrial Design will be provided.
3 - Business case studies: There are concrete contacts with companies in the manufacturing, engineering and mechatronics sectors, process leader, automation and product management, to develop application cases and projects on issues of mutual interest.
Full programme
- Methods of industrial and structural design
- Main criteria of mechanical design;
- Conceptual design and detailed design;
- Concepts of solicitation and resistance;
- Choice of materials and processes / technologies;
- Mechanical assisted design: main tools and methods;
- Durability, quality control, design for quality and TQM;
- Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) and Oriented Design (Design for X);
- Design for assembly;
- Concepts of Green Design and circular economy;
- Design for the cost;
- Value Analysis and Engineering.
The development of products and processes
- Phases of the development process;
- The stage and gate model;
- Types and planning of new products;
- Analysis of customer needs;
- Technical specifications;
- Product concept and test;
- Conjoint Analysis;
- Elements of Industrial Design;
- Technical architecture of the product;
- House of quality;
- Economic and organizational aspects in product development;
- Virtual Product Development;
- Some case studies in collaboration with companies in the sector.
Business case studies
Concrete contacts are planned with companies in the manufacturing, engineering and mechatronic sectors, process leader, automation and product management, to develop application cases and projects on subjects of mutual interest.
Bibliography
- Slides of lessons;
- Ulrich K.T., Eppinger S.D., Product design and development, McGraw-Hill, 5° Ed., 2011.
- Dieter G. Schimdt L., Engineering Design, McGraw Hill; 2012
Teaching methods
The course has a weight of 9 CFU, which corresponds to 72 hours of classroom lessons. The teaching activities will be conducted favoring frontal lessons in the classroom alternating with exercises and presentation/discussion of practical cases. During the lectures, the topics of the course will be addressed from a theoretical-design point of view, in order to promote a deep understanding of the topics and to bring out any prior knowledge on the topics in question on the part of the trainees. During the exercises carried out in class, during which it is possible to make use of personal calculation tools such as computers, students will be required to apply the theory to an exercise, a real case study or a project developed according to the methodological criteria illustrated in the lessons and in the bibliographic and educational material. The CAD exercises will be carried out in a computer laboratory, and the license of the software used (Solidworks) will be granted to each student for autonomous personal use. To complement the teaching methods exposed so far, if conditions allow, seminars are organized held by managers of multinational companies who report concrete experiences gained in real case studies. The slides and notes used to support the lessons will be uploaded at the beginning of the course on the dedicated platform (ELLY). Notes, transparencies, spreadsheets, tables and all shared material are considered an integral part of the teaching material. Non-attending students are reminded to check the available teaching material and the instructions provided by the teacher via the Elly platform, the only communication tool used for direct teacher/student contact. On this platform, day by day, the topics covered in class are indicated which will then constitute the index of contents in preparation for the final exam.
Assessment methods and criteria
The learning assessment includes a written test and the presentation of a group project, made up of 273 students, on the complete development of an innovative product.
The written test will be based on open-ended questions lasting approximately 1.5 hours. The test normally consists of 4/5 questions which may focus on theoretical contents covered during the course, or the treatment of a simple application example. The test is passed if it reaches a score of at least 18 points.
The activity of developing personal projects, which will be discussed at the end of the year through a presentation with the support of slides, and lasting 10-15 minutes, will then define the final grade with a certain weight. The project will include the creation of the 3D model of the product, also through the assembly of parts, with the study of costs and assembly, and possibly, for those who want it, the printing of the same by additive manufacturing, even in scale.
Other information
Class is highly recommended.
