About this Blog:
Hey there,
aren't 'tum tum tum tum' words indicate a nearby local made Passing by Auto.This blog site as the name 'tumtum-motors.com' suggests, covers topics related to automotive products/parts. This informative blog wanders not only around automotive related topics, it also has a high ambition to cover other topics like 'Artificial Intelligence',
'Electronic Viral Mass Reach(EVMR)', 'Big Data','Electric Vehicles' and so on so forth. Though it sounds very novice for this blog to cover on this latest trend setting topics since already a lot of good information is readily available in Internet Search Engines. This blog beats around the development of a product from concept stage to its launch stage and its final Design Obsolete(needs immediate innovation) stage.
The Vision of this Blog is:
Identifying all the Products of human use/interaction who have reached a point of saturation for further change or very minimum change. Utilize this challenge of the design of no further change to lead a great Innovation for further usage/interaction, achieve this through minimum cost, minimum process involvement.
How to design a product.
It is rightly said that "need is the of the mother of invention", so need or purpose drives the Product. There are many aspects come into picture while designing a Product. First the functional aspects, this should serve the purpose of the Product's very existence. The second, assembly of the parts inside the Product, each part should assemble with proper tolerance and limits. The third, Cost of the product should not be the burden to manufacturer and end-user. Fourth the science behind the product should reach all the hierarchy Engineers who are directly involved in the product development phases,or at least bird view should reach. Otherwise, each developmental stage/s would sound like mere tasks to be accomplished. Also, the science behind the product should reach all the end user folks who are indirectly involved with Product.By this, I mean operational science, maintenance science and overall safety of product/user and not the complete bottom line of the product matching that of the Inventor/Creator itself.
Since the product is not manufactured under a single roof, suppliers of the parts should be conveniently and strategically located.If it is not out of the box product as it is in many cases. One can do Benchmark of the similar product covering all aspects about the product from physical appearance to end-user feedback.This makes things pretty easy, but it should not be a complete
copy-cat.
Once Product is designed it should undergo various tests, here, for example, let the Product be. Automotive Vehicle like Car, Tractor etc. The durability of the product should be tested.Durability is the life of the product for specified load cycles. The vehicle has to pass through various safety norms. Since the vehicle is occupied by humans, occupant safety Norms should be cleared.Norms affecting Environments in the case of IC engines. Noise Vibration and Harshness(NVH) of the vehicle while product under use has to be achieved, if not balanced.
Once the product is launched, here the manufacturer is not free from his responsibility. The product has to be tracked for its performance, abuse of the product has to be recorded otherwise the warranty costs, brand name and market share will be at stake. Quick retro-fitment for any failed part during product usage after the sale, will be very much appreciated and taken as a goodwill gesture.
What directs the Shape, Size and Material flow, in a product? Its the Function of the product or part directs Product design. For example, consider you have simple Beer tumbler, it has a container to hold Beer and handle which eases the usage of the tumbler. Again take for example kitchen-knife it has the plastic holder with average person's palm grip and sharp edge at other ends. Likewise, the design is dictated by the function of the product.
How to Communicate during product development stages:
During the product development stages, various communications happen between technical and non-technical specialists. It is mandatory to have a good communication that is two-way communication. If there are one-way communications(usually these happen from Higher management to lower cadre employees), one has to ensure that there is enough communication or main intended matter reaches the audience by taking timely feedback and or by any form of response from the audience.
During product development phases one has to speak technically, use common understandable language, use numbers wherever necessary. Use of numbers and images/pictures during communication is generally perceived as a good communication. During recent Research it is shown that The presentations which include data represented in Graphs will be very well taken and appreciated by the audience, the presenter will be considered as wise.
If communications are not happening in an aforesaid manner, it will be a kind of laymen or to be very bold Ape(animal) communications start and remain prevalent.What is Ape communication? this is generally termed because, communications happen based on gestures, hand gestures, face gestures and body language.These happen in Ape animal community. Let's assume the product responsible person (A) starts trusting the task handler (B) by looking at his/her eyes. If the eyes turn some other direction and communication is in some other direction, the person (A) will interpret differently, and finally, the product moves 'zero' inch. Therefore, one has to go through an effective way of communications training or manufacturer should impart training to both (A) and (B). Then the whole atmosphere gets enlightened, even a non-technical person also start getting good experience.
List of Products
which have gone through various design changes and are on the verge of becoming Design Obsolete, i.e further change of design will add only cost and no further improvement in its usage/interaction. Following are the Products who have reached design saturation in terms Handling/Usage.
1. Wheel--> No matter what you design change on top of wheel, the round Shape of the wheel should be maintained
Wheel==>Design Obsolete Forever.
I guess everybody to be Tarzan so that no one needed a wheel to travel from one place to another. Just cling to a hanging branch of the tree, and then swing from one Branch to another Branch, further avoid wheel.
But, but it all went in the different direction, a 00 maneuver is changed to a fast paced 3600 rolling and maneuvering. Who invented this wonderful machine called WHEEL. It has no known single inventor, and it is the need and mere inquisitiveness of humans that made Wheel a reality for transportation whether for personal transportation, public or goods transportation. And till date, only Wheel remained the wonderful Design Obsolete machine, everything on top of it became ever changing ever evolving designs, only human inquisitiveness can judge where this design change can go and stop. This is not going to happen at all neither in future nor in the present. A round shaped machine is Wheel, a mechanical element that does work so calling it a machine.
This shape of the wheel is going to remain circle for ever and ever. This is the reason no matter what gets innovated on top of the Wheel, round shape remains unchanged and hence a design obsolete.
2.Fasteners--> Bolts/Nuts--> No matter what strength you add to this fastener the basic design of Bolt and Nut remains same.
The Bolt, Washer, and Nut:
This is the smallest machine element and keeps the machine integrated.
The design of the Bolt is basically based on two of the important factors (forces), they are Tension Force which acts along the length and other is Shear force which is a kind of Lateral Force.
Tension Force is resisted by its root area of Bolt shank, which is going to be critical. With nominal material yield strength and load bearing capacity of Bolt, just go ahead for designing the Bolt, ie. Diameter.Please have some factor of safety.
Washer gives local area bearing strength while holding the two parts by nut and bolt head.
The nut has no particular guidelines for design it should not loose while the product in use. Torque can be applied which prevents nut-bolt loosening. A proper torque as per manufacturers recommendations should be imparted to bolts otherwise it could turn disaster while product under use.
Why bolts get loose and come out when proper torque is not applied?, bolts get loose and come out mainly because of vibrations. The linear vibrations near bolts get rotatory action along the bolt threads which make bolts hostile.
Washer gives local area bearing strength while holding the two parts by nut and bolt head.
The nut has no particular guidelines for design it should not loose while the product in use. Torque can be applied which prevents nut-bolt loosening. A proper torque as per manufacturers recommendations should be imparted to bolts otherwise it could turn disaster while product under use.
Why bolts get loose and come out when proper torque is not applied?, bolts get loose and come out mainly because of vibrations. The linear vibrations near bolts get rotatory action along the bolt threads which make bolts hostile.
3.Bicycle-> After centuries of design Evolution, the stage has set for upgradations in the form Gasoline or Electric Power or some other power for replacing of Human workout. The very idea of Bicycle started in the year 1534(courtesy Wikipedia), later slowly the Bicycle gained popularity as Hobby Horse or Dandy Horse, as it is not peddled by chain-sprocket mechanism, it is leg pushed balancing act and a kind of fun Machine. Please visit Wikipedia for further images and info.
During the 19th century various designs were tried and experimented.
4.Handheld Shaving Kit--> This is evolving from the Stone-age to Modern Age. At this date, it is only left with the sharpening of the blade edge. Handling of things got easier and saturated.
If one searches the Internet Search Engine with a phrase like" Design Evolution of Shaving Kit" definitely one will land up with an amazing story of Design Changes, from stone age to till date, Hairlessness Was next to Godliness in the Middle ages.
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5. Crank Shaft: This is a machine element. This has the significant role to play, nothing can replace this mechanism to convert Linear motion into Rotating motion.To innovate this, is to make things more balanced and less noise impacting machine member,that's all.
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By
Shivanand Malakannavar
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NOTE:-the above article is based on author's view and general science developed during the run/walk of Time. Author in any means interested/inteded in hurting the sentiments of a person or sentiments of particular society.Its purely author's expression of gratitude towards Human need and its solutions.
The above article is continuously evolving/changing giving a fair idea of products where they have reached a saturation point for further innovation. Further giving the challenge to innovate the product.
A design obsolete product is always out of the market product.
Warning: All products under discussion here are for the welfare of the Humans and Life alike.
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Hour6
I wrote the song "This is Life" to be a bit of a gut check for how we're living our lives. Worldly and materialistic things can take such a forefront with us these days. With cell phones, computers, cable TV and movies, new clothing trends, cars, and everything else you just have to have, it's easy…
