Since the 1970s computer-aided design and engineering (CAD, CAE) tools have been used to generate advanced models and simulations that facilitate product development processes by virtually analyzing and thereby validating and solving problems after completion of detailed design. These same models are further used to solve problems during prototype validation.

Today a paradigm shift is occurring that applies these capabilities while advancing innovative best practices before detail design, including applying multiple virtual alternatives during conception to eliminate risk, cost, and time. The new paradigm applies the use of Systems Engineering and Analysis Leads Design (SE/ALD™).

SE/ALD™

SE/ALD™ is quickly gaining recognition as the new paradigm in combining up-front simulation and testing to reduce development time, improve productivity, and assure product development goals are met. The results are measurable and sustainable bottom-line improvements.

Unconventional Application of Testing

Even with the use of CAD tools after detail designing, multiple design-build-test cycles continue to be used as the primary means of testing design hypotheses. With this approach, each cycle requires new detailed designs to be completed, prototypes built and, in some cases, new prototype tooling must also be produced. Although still commonly accepted, this is sub-optimized, costly and time-consuming.

As the accuracy and reliability of CAE simulations has advanced, the need for physical testing to validate new product concepts has correspondingly decreased: Why build physical prototypes if the answers are available through simulation?

At the same time, testing capabilities have grown in accuracy and range and the role of testing is moving from pre-production validation to further the application of test data to drive simulations. Capturing real use data reduces the risks associated with relying on traditional engineering judgment or assuming loads and duty cycles.

Applying realistic measured data into simulations reduces design margins and eliminates risky assumptions. Up-front simulation and analysis allows multiple design options to be considered at comparatively little expense and time.

Trade-offs between multiple virtual alternatives and competing performance requirements can be quantitatively evaluated and optimized when selecting and validating concepts. Knowing actual use conditions, test programs can better reflect the range of use when verifying product performance.

Predicting Performance

While industry leaders continually look for ways to predict limiting load conditions (e.g. maximum allowable stress), they are also realizing that to satisfy demanding clients they must better calculate the effects of time (e.g. fatigue, wear).

Today's CAE tools can achieve such predictions --- given the right real life measured usage data. Similarly, once designs are optimized through simulations, these leaders can reduce the number of test hours and test units, through accelerated life testing and the associated design of experiments to derive the acceleration factors.

These tests can be developed and deployed successfully, with a high degree of confidence developed through simulation that precedes such tests.

Simulation-Led Development at Work

	Power Tools With less than 10% of the world's market share, our client set its goals to: Improve Product Quality, Increase Sales, and Boost Product Development Efficiency SE/ALD™ was used to design a new cordless power tool. The new more robust tool was developed in half the time of conventional methods. With Best-in-Class performance and low noise levels, consumers eagerly embraced the product. Today our client is utilizing SE/ALD™ in other tool development programs. The tool was recognized with the following awards: Technical Achievement Award (Japan Electrical Manufacturers Association) Design Award 2003 (German International Forum) Japan's Good Design Award (2002/2003) An almost perfect consumer test score (Germany's Heimwerker Test Magazine)
	Snow Thrower When our client decided to introduce changes to its line of dual-stage snow throwers, they contracted ITI. A product development program utilizing SE/ALD™ was initiated to create, evaluate, and test a variety of design alternatives. The best design was selected and incorporated into the next generation of the product. As a result of the new design, Sears Roebuck and Company of Canada presented our client with the Chairman's Award for the most innovative product for the 2004 white season (snow season).
	CRT Screen As an essential part of a CRT monitor, the shadow mask significantly influences color quality. Understanding the vibratory behavior of this component is especially important to the picture quality of flat screen designs that are becoming popular for televisions and computer monitors. Our client was able to quickly evaluate a number of design alternatives and choose the best solution for minimizing the effects of vibration on the shadow mask. As a result the client's monitor consistently delivers a clear distortion-free image.
	Washing Machine A leader in the home appliance industry set out to reduce weight and noise while improving development costs of its washing machines. Operating data was collected and used together with computer models of the washer. As the models were run through their paces simulating usage scenarios, engineers could more fully understand where improvements could be made and the design changes impacted the washer's performance. With SE/ALD™, reliability of the washer was increased 30%. Which is more, these goals were reached while reducing overall weight by 77% and dropping noise levels by 30%. The project was, by all measures, a tremendous success.

A Paradigm Shift in New Product Development

The move from physical prototypes to validate new product designs to analysis and simulation-led problem solving for virtual validation is leading the latest paradigm shift in product development. The impact relative to improvements in productivity, quality/reliability and time to market are tremendous.

ITI's TechKnowledgy Executive Series examines today's evolving product development process. There is no question that throughout engineering and manufacturing, a paradigm shift is well underway -- impacting how products are planned, designed, tested and built.

Undertaking this, the most challenging and rewarding changes relate to moving from traditional serial process with multiple design-build-test development programs to concurrent process, simulation-led design programs where first physical prototypes meet targets when tested. This change yields breakthrough levels of improvement in both time to market and productivity.

About ITI

International TechneGroup Incorporated (ITI) specializes in product development consulting: helping clients achieve Breakthrough Improvement™ results as measured by productivity and time to market --- the single biggest factors for success. We work with clients to identify and resolve problems associated with processes, technologies, and people/culture involved throughout today's global product development processes.