DETAILED DESIGN

PHASE

Design
working prototypes that meet specifications

LET’S GET STARTED!

In the previous phase, you were taught to think creatively, explore different methods of brainstorming, and
effectively evaluate the content that resulted from those sessions. You should feel proud at how far you’ve come.

However, many of you may be feeling as though you’ve accomplished very little. That what you have created falls
flat of actual engineering work. And, in a sense, it’s true. A lot of work has gone into defining the problem and
understanding what needs to be accomplished to resolve it.

Many of you may feel impatient to take the next step forward and do actual ‘work’, however, most teams get
stuck making the transition. There seems to be a disconnect between what most people want to accomplish and
what they’re willing to do to to see it through.

Most people seem to be searching for specific answers on how to successfully complete their project. And they’re
not willing to take a step into unknown territory until a detailed roadmap has been laid out in front of them.

But here’s the thing. No matter how much content you consume, how much white-boarding you do, or how many
roadmaps you lay out, that’s not actually going to get anything done. One of the biggest mistakes students make is
to continue to read and fantasize about how you’re going to do this or do that. There is never a time, in any
project, where you’re completely sure of your direction or that what you’re doing is the right thing to do. At some
point, you just have to make a decision and execute it.

While it’s encouraged that you consume this content and learn how to do x, y, and z, that’s not what we ultimately
want you to learn. Knowledge is easily attained. Incentive? Less so.

The goal of this phase is to design a working prototype. It’s to execute the ideas that you’ve had up until now and
make constant, iterative improvements to make it fully functional. You’re not going to get it right on the first try.

We can provide you with content, mentorship, and tools, but no one can force you and your team to put in the
real work and just do it. While you still may be learning, at some point, you have to stop being a student and take
charge of certain aspects of your education. If you want to succeed with your EPICS project, you’ll need to kick
yourselves into gear and test the data, intuition, and abilities you’ve acquired up to this point.


TEST AND LEARNING CARD Moving forward, you must repeatedly ask these questions
to ensure you’re on the right track.

1. We believe that... The objective is to not just check off each task, as it’s
2. To validate that we will... never assured that something that works now will
continue to work later.
3. Our belief is right if...
4. From the test we found out and learned... Accept that some of these steps may need to be repeated
multiple times. Don’t try to avoid this in hopes of a
5. Therefore, we will.... shorter timeline, as you will undoubtedly create
more work for yourselves in the long run.


1. Bottom-Up Development

In previous phases, you gained insight into your initial design through reverse engineering, also known as Top-
Up Development. Essentially, you started with the big picture and then refined the system down to its base
elements.

Now, you will use Bottom-Up Development, which challenges you to define the base elements and then link them
together to give rise to a complete and more complex system.

With most projects, a system does not exist without its components. It’s important to remember, however, that
while you are building a system from the ground up, you should still be following the design specifications you
previously outlined. Don’t get so enamored with the process of designing that you forget to realign yourselves
with the original goal of the project. Deviating from it and solving another problem entirely is far easy than one
may think.

One aspect of developing a functioning system is determining how the subcomponents will interact with each
other. Even though each subcomponent may be developed separately, the way they communicate needs to be
consistent so that, when the time comes, you actually CAN put them together. Here are some example
considerations to be taken into account:

Mechanical Electrical Software

How will each element or

How will different physical parts How much voltage or current will subroutine in the program
connect? be supplied/received? communicate with the main
program?

What types and where will What type of signals will be sent What format will the input/output
fasteners be used? (digital, analog)? information be in?

What forces does each component

need to be able to handle from How many inputs/outputs? How many inputs/outputs?
other components?

The point of this phase is to take the ideas you developed and transform them into a working design. This
process is one of the most challenging aspects of the design process. You will be required to use knowledge and
skills from a number of different areas. You will be challenged to seek out foreign information and resources. You
will need to brainstorm alternative solutions. Ultimately, you need to become proactive about problem solving.

You have gained some disciplinary knowledge throughout your formal education, however, you may feel as
though it’s lacking. You’re right. Whether or not you’re working on a project in the same discipline as your major
is irrelevant. At no point in your future career will you be faced with a project that you are fully prepared for. Part
of being a capable engineer is the ability to push yourself outside your area of expertise and learn new things.
Being able to research and learn outside the boundaries of a formal classroom, a place you are spoon-fed
information and skills, is the only way you will succeed in this and any future projects. If you are unable to do
this, you need to learn to.


 Diagrams, drawings, and schematics to construct a prototypes

Additional specifications added to your criteria

RESULT
A design of each component

A record and known location of all work completed in this step

2. Design for Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (DFMEA)

A DFMEA is a process engineers use to analyse all of the ways a design can fail. In a DFMEA, each component of
the design is analysed for weak points and each potential failure is rated for severity based on provided criteria.

Failure Mode What went wrong with the design?
Effect of Failure What will happen if this failure occurs?
Cause of Failure What caused this failure to occur?
Current Process Control for What measures are in place to prevent this failure
Effect and its effects?

A DFMEA is conducted prior to delivering the project, so that your team has explored all possible ways the design
may fail and take them into account. In industry, if a project failures and injures someone, documentation is the
difference between winning or losing a million-dollar lawsuit. You MUST document this process thoroughly. If
you don’t, you will be required to repeat this step until your mentors see careful consideration and analysis put
in.

The overall process is as follows:

step one step two step three step four
The numbers Severe flaws are
Find all of the Values are
assigned to each identified and
possible ways in assigned for the
criteria are steps are taken
which the effect, the cause,
multiplied for to protect
design might fail and the control
an overall against them in
(called a failure criteria for each
estimate of the the overall
mode) failure mode
failure severity system

RANKINGS

Effect of Failure: A ranking of one indicates that the failure has very little to no effect on the operator or the
overall functioning of the device. A ranking of ten would indicate that the failure is catastrophic to both the user
and the actual device itself






















Cause of Failure: This category is ranked based on the likelihood of failure. A ranking of one would indicate
that the failure is almost improbable, while a ranking of ten would suggest that the failure would occur once (or
more) every ten times the operator uses the device.
























Process Controls: This category is based on the ability to detect the situation that will cause the failure before
it is allowed to actually cause the failure. A ranking of one for this category says that the cause of the failure is
easy to detect, and thus easy to prevent. A ranking of ten says that the cause is almost impossible to detect, and
thus there is no way to predict and prevent it.

IN SUMMARY:
Using DFMEA can help designers anticipate problems before a design is made. It is much easier to make changes
now, than after expensive parts are purchased and time is wasted developing flawed concepts. Furthermore, the
time needed to test and debug the end design will be significantly decreased, as a sound design will have been
created from the start.

Although DFMEAs can be tedious and repetitive, don’t skimp on this work. Making a product work is the
ultimate goal, but, ensuring the safety of those who use it is significantly more important. Forgetting that and
cutting corners to speed the design process is dangerous and ethically wrong.

Failing to appreciate your responsibilities won’t earn you a zero on an exam question but you could end up
seriously hurting or killing someone because of your mismanagement. Although this is a class, it can still have
serious repercussions, as you are currently developing a real project for real people. Take the time to develop
good working habits and respect for your clients now, so you aren’t faced with a serious situation later in your
career.

Completed DFMEA chart

Design changes based on severe flaws that were identified

RESULT
An updated design of each component

A record and known location of all work completed in this step

3. Crude Prototyping

Generally, you will build several prototypes. The first one is called a crude prototype and is essentially a model
that tests the basic premise of your design and was outlined in the conceptual design phase.

Your tasks will be to create rough prototypes/drawings, develop a proof-of-concept test, and communicate these
things to your community partner. While the workload is intimidating, this is not a step you should be taking
weeks to complete.

1. Keep it simple. Have a coherent idea with minimum components. It can be tempting to pile on more
features to the design but stick to what you know and only what you need.
2. Don’t strive for perfection. Most people get stuck trying to perfect their first iteration. But just do it.
There is no right time to execute ideas. You will always lack confidence, money, and skills but you might as
well use the passing time to fail fast and learn even faster.
3. Know your options. Software and 3-D printers are essential to rapidly creating a physical model of your
product. But don’t assume that a CAD drawing is the only relevant method to visualize your idea. Explore
what’s out there and this can end up saving you a significant amount of time.
4. It’s okay to take shortcuts. There is no reason whatsoever to redesign the wheel. Use libraries, defaults
in software, and ignore designing how it looks. No one cares if the first prototype is ugly and it’s okay if it
has issues. You are merely validating the idea.
5. Treat it as glorified arts and crafts. If you don’t have access to expensive software and materials, use
cardboard and tape. Set aside a specific time period to get as much of your prototype done as you can.
People have prototyped full products in as little as 24 hours after the idea’s conception. Do your best to
strive to that.

You may be able to visualize what your potential solutions look like but your customer may not; which is why
prototypes are critical to communicating to your client what your current solutions are.
 Crude Prototype

Meeting with community partner to validate the design

RESULT
Feedback from community partner to develop and refine the current direction

A record and known location of all work completed in this step

4. Working Prototyping


A working prototype includes the design criteria outlined in previous phases; it is meant to function as the final
product should.

At this point, many of the tips outlined for a crude design are no longer relevant. To create a working prototype,
you can no longer take shortcuts, strive for ‘good enough’, and merely use glue and cardboard. Handles should
turn, software should run, and pressing a button should result in something happening.

To be clear, your working prototype needs to WORK but it doesn’t need to be PERFECT. However, if you spend
more time on this now, it will require less work in the future to refine it to a final version.

Many students get stuck in this phase because they simply don’t know where to begin. Most of you have never
built anything before and it is rare that a student has enough expertise to build a working prototype without
branching out.

That’s okay. Developing a prototype is hard but it’s also an opportunity to stretch your creativity and problem
solving abilities to the limit. It’s also a good opportunity to learn how to find the right kind of help, outsource, or
use resources you haven’t used before.




Supplies McMaster- MacRae’s Blue
ThomasNet.com
Carr Book





Resources Invention
TechShop 3D Hubs
City



Ideally you’ll find someone who has technical experience who can help prototype your project, at a low cost. If
you don’t, you’ll need to jump in and become an expert at watching videos, reading technical books, and
networking your way to finding affordable, professional help.

The following are descriptions of common prototyping technologies, which is also found on Thomasnet.com


Casting creates a part from a liquid material that subsequently hardens. Casting is
Casting done in both plastic and metal. All casting begins with an exact model of the part to
be produced.
Silicone rubber is poured over a model and cured. The model is cut out of the
hardened silicone rubber, leaving behind an exact impression - a mold. The mold
Silicone Mold Casting
can then be filled with plastic resins or wax to create final plastic parts or wax
forms for investment casting.
A wax form is covered in plaster. The wax is baked out of the plaster and molten
Investment Casting
metal – aluminum, bronze, stainless steel, zinc or other alloy – is poured in.
Machining creates a part by removing material. The material may be rigid foam,
Machining metal, plastic or wood. Lathes, milling machines and grinders are all used in
machining operations.
Metal Fabrication Bending, cutting and folding of metal is performed a short-run job shop.
Sheets of plastic can be cut, bent and vacuum formed by plastic fabricators.
Plastic Fabrication
Fabricators will also perform simple assembly operations.
Old world techniques are alive and well. This is the best way to create ergonomic
Sculpting
shapes.
Cutting precise shapes from sheets of metal is done by laser cutting. 2D CAD
Laser Cutting
(Computer Aided Design) drawings are necessary.
Wire Electrical A block of steel can be cut in a precise shape via wire EDM. 2D CAD (Computer
Discharge Machining Aided Design) drawings are necessary.
Solid modeling uses 3D CAD to create a virtual prototype that can be viewed on a
computer screen from any angle, including from inside out. The 3D CAD file created
Solid Modeling
for solid modeling can be used to generate an actual part you can hold in your
hands via rapid prototyping.
Photorealistic If you want to imagine what a final product would look like then you'll use
Modeling photorealistic modeling to create a photographic quality skin for your design.
Rapid Prototyping – While rapid prototyping technologies differ greatly, all of them require a 3D CAD
3D Printing file to create a 3D part.
A model is created one layer at a time as a laser beam moves across a bath of liquid
resin. The laser's movements are guided by a 3D CAD program. SLA enables a model
Stereolithography to be made with high resolution because each layer can be very thin. SLA parts are
(SLA) not used directly as working prototypes because SLA resins are relatively brittle
and weak. To make a working prototype a silicone mold is made from the SLA
model and then plastic or metal copies (investment casting) are produced.
SLS uses powdered material - plastics, ceramics, waxes and certain metals – to
create a prototype part. After the laser beam melts one layer of powder the residual
powder is removed and a fresh layer is spread to create the next layer. Layer after
Selective Laser
layer is fused, one on top of the other. A prototype part created with SLS can be
Sintering
made stronger since materials closer to actual production materials can be used. If
made of wax (or ceramic) an SLS part could be used directly for investment casting;
if made of metal it could be used as a mold to create multiple plastic or wax parts.
LOM uses sheets of material rather than resin or powder. The material, called "foil",
Laminated Object
could be plastic, paper or metal. Once the laser cuts a sheet another sheet is laid on
Manufacturing (LOM)
top and bonded to the previously cut sheet.
Direct Shell
Ceramic powder is "printed" and bonded one layer at a time.
Production Casting

 Working Prototype

Meeting with community partner to validate the design

RESULT
Feedback from community partner to develop and refine the current direction

A record and known location of all work completed in this step

5. FIELD/USABILITY TESTING AND USER FEEDBACK

One of the most important steps of the design process is to get feedback on your prototype from your community
partner. You may be designing it but they have to use it. And their opinion matters most.

During this process, you will find functionality and usability issues with what you have made. Testing will likely
reveal functionalities that are need but weren’t initially identified. Your community partner may try to expand
the scope of what you agreed to deliver.

Throughout this, you must be strict in identifying which items are critical to a successful project and which are
merely ‘nice to have’. Anything critical will need to be addressed. Anything else can be noted for a future version
or phase of the project.





























CHECKLIST
Must be completed before moving on to the next phase



BOTTOM-UP DESIGN

Completed
TASKS: Can Be Found:







DFMEA

Completed TASKS: Can Be Found:







Crude Prototyping


Completed TASKS: Can Be Found:






Working Prototype


Completed TASKS: Can Be Found:







Field/Usability Testing

Completed TASKS: Can Be Found: