Product Design: Techniques in Reverse Engineering and New Product Development [Paperback]

Kevin Otto (Author), Kristin Wood (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0130212717 | ISBN-13: 978-0130212719 | Publication Date: December 8, 2000 | Edition: 1

Product Design presents an in-depth study of structured designed processes and methods. Fundamental approach is that reverse engineering and teardowns offer a new better paradigm for design instruction, permitting a modern learning cycle of experience, hypothesis, understanding, and then execution. For practicing engineers interested in learning about mechanical design.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Preface

Product Design presents an in-depth study of structured design processes and methods. In general, we have found that the exercise of a structured design process has many benefits in education and industry. On the industrial side, a structured design process is mandatory to effectively decide what projects to bring to market, schedule this development pipeline in a changing uncertain world, and effectively create robust delightful products. On the educational side, the benefits of using structured design methods include concrete experiences with hands-on products, applications of contemporary technologies, realistic and fruitful applications of applied mathematics and scientific principles, studies of systematic experimentation, exploration of the boundaries of design methodology, and decision making for real product development. These results have proven true whether at the sophomore introductory level with students of limited practice, or at the advanced graduate student level with students having years of practical design experience.

Based on these observations, this book is intended for undergraduate, graduate, and practicing engineers. Chapter 1 of the book discusses the foundation material of product design, including our philosophy for learning and implementing product design methods. Each subsequent chapter then includes both basic and advanced techniques for particular phases of product development. Depending on the background of the reader, these methods may be understood at a rudimentary level or at a level that pushes the current frontiers of product design.

Historically, this work grew out of a partnership effort between the authors, while we were both teaching product development courses and carrying out research in mechanical design. We both share similar philosophies on design, teaching, and research. Having each developed new methods in design, we were interested in transferring these and others' methods into practice. We also strongly wanted to bring the excitement of the real world, both in physics and the marketplace, to the design classroom.

A fundamental premise of our teaching approach is that reverse engineering and teardowns offer a better paradigm for design instruction, permitting a modern learning cycle of experience, hypothesis, understanding, and then execution. Design instruction is no different than other domains; to learn design one should both follow this learning cycle and DO design. Reverse engineering and teardowns permit us to achieve this combined goal. We begin with a concrete product in our hands, seeing how others have designed products well, rather than rushing straight to the execution stage. With this in mind, we both independently set out to teach and successfully apply advanced methods, such as customer needs analysis, functional modeling, optimization, and designed experiments on real products.

We quickly started sharing experiences, what worked and what did not, and progressively began to string together a series of techniques and that fit naturally together. When one of us had a success, we would brag to the other, or when something failed, we'd lament together. After a bit of systematic testing, we developed the methodology presented in this book, which has proved remarkably robust when applied.

We would like to extend our special thanks to the many persons who directly contributed to this book. These include John Baker, Joseph Beaman, Geoffrey Boothroyd, Ilene Busch-Vishniac, Jim Claypool, Richard Crawford, David Cutherell, Michael Fang, Conger Gable, Javier Gonzales- Zugasti, Matthew Haggerty, Nicholas Hirschi, Maurice Holmes, Jerry Jackson, Jerry Jones, Jennie Kwo, Doug Lefever, Aaron Little, Michael Manente, Robert Matulka, Dan McAdams, David Meeker, Jon Miller, Steve Moore, Jeff Norrell, Caroline Pan, Erick Rios, David Roggenkamp, JoRuetta Roberson, Phil Schmidt, Stephen Shiner, R. S. Srinivasan, Robert Stone, Carlos Tapia, David Wallace, Joe Wysocki, Janet Yu, and Erik Zamirowski. Without their intellectual help, this book wound not be.

Many others have sparked our thoughts and inspired us in many ways. These persons include Erik Antonsson, Wolfgang Beitz, Joe Bezdek, Bert Bras, Jonathon Cagan, Uichung Cho, Chin-Seng Chu, Don Clausing, Jim Coles, Ray Corvair, Michael Cusumano, Jack Dixon, John Elder, Steven Eppinger, Rolf Faste, Woodie Flowers, Mark Foohey, Chee-Seng Foong, Douglas Hart, John Hauser, Chester Hearn, Alberto Hernandez, Steve Hoover, Kos Ishii, Gerry Johnson, Nathan Kane, Paul Koeneman, Sridhar Kota, Bill Maddox, Spencer Magleby, David Masser, Ryan Ratliff, David Rosen, Bernard Roth, Warren Seering, Jami Shah, Sheri Sheppard, Alexander Slocum, George Stiny, David Thompson, Irem Turner, David Ullman, Bill Weldon, Daniel Whitney, Joseph Wieck, Doug Wilde, and Rick Zayed.

We would like to thank the many persons, companies, and organizations that contributed case studies, important data, and funding that make the examples real world. These include A.T.&T. Corp., W E. Bassett Co., Design Edge Inc., Desktop Manufacturing Co., Digital Equipment Corporation, Eastman Kodak Co., Ford Motor Co., MIT Bernard Gordon - Curriculum Development Fund, June and Gene Gillis, General Electric Inc., International Business Machines Corp., Keurig Inc., Microsoft Corporation, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, National Science Foundation, Robert Noyce, Pre Associates, Product Genesis Inc., Polaroid Corporation, Raychem Corp., Raytheon Corp., Texas Instruments Inc., Verein Deutches Ingineur, and the Xerox Corp.

We would especially like to thank MIT's Bernard Cordon Curriculum Development Fund and to the NSF Center for Innovation in Product Development at MIT, which provided necessary funds to make this book possible. More importantly, the supportive, dynamic and perceptive environment of academic faculty, students, staff and industrial researchers at MIT's Center for Innovation in Product Development cannot be understated, they have made many insights possible. Warren Seering in particular is a great help; he cannot be sufficiently thanked for his vision, insight, advice, and outright help in working in product development.

We would also like to thank the colleagues who reviewed early drafts of the book and provided constructive criticisms. A special group of early reviewers are the faculty of the United States Air Force Academy, Engineering Mechanics Department, including Col. Cary Fisher, Dr. Dan Jensen, Maj. John Wood, Capt. Michael Murphy, and Maj. Mark Nowak. We appreciate their assistance in implementing the material in their courses during Dr. Wood's sabbatical. They truly tested, twisted, shaped, and criticized the material at the most fundamental of levels.

Many others have contributed to the organization and form of the book. In particular, the authors wish to thank Neal Blumhagen, who created the cover artwork and a number of hand drawings in the text. Ann Weeks, artist, Erik Zumalt, digital artist, Michael Young, media coordinator, and Sicily Dickenson, director of the UT Instructional Media Lab, contributed wonderfully to the numerous illustrations and photographs in the book. Finally, Laurie Wood contributed her creativity to a number of the illustrations.

Kevin Otto
Kristin Wood

From the Back Cover

Product Design presents an in-depth study of structured designed processes and methods. Fundamental approach is that reverse engineering and teardowns offer a new better paradigm for design instruction, permitting a modern learning cycle of experience, hypothesis, understanding, and then execution. For practicing engineers interested in learning about mechanical design.

FEATURES/BENEFITS

• Fundamental approach is that reverse engineering and teardowns offer a new better paradigm for design instruction, permitting a modern learning cycle of experience, hypothesis, understanding, and then execution.
• Concrete experiences with hands-on products.
• Applications of contemporary technologies.
• Studies of systematic experimentation.
• Exploration of the boundaries of design methodology.
• Decision making for real product development.
• Discusses the foundation material of product design, including a philosophy for learning and implementing product design methods.
• Each chapter includes both basic and advanced techniques for particular phases of product development.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1104 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 1 edition (December 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0130212717
• ISBN-13: 978-0130212719
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #420,573 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Encyclopedia of Product Design, March 4, 2001

By 

Blaine Lilly (Columbus, Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Product Design: Techniques in Reverse Engineering and New Product Development (Paperback)

This is the book those of us teaching product design in universities have been waiting for. I can't think of any area of product design and development that Otto and Wood haven't covered, and in real depth. I teach a course in product design at Ohio State, and this will be the book we'll use from now on. I especially appreciate the extensive references, and the emphasis placed on looking at real products to learn how to design better products. The chapter on product architecture is really a godsend - these are concepts that most engineering students don't run into in the standard curriculum, but they're crucial to sound product development. In short, an amazingly useful book, and one that will certainly be around for a long time to come.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for designers, February 23, 2001

By 

Mike Van Wie (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Product Design: Techniques in Reverse Engineering and New Product Development (Paperback)

I have used the text in a graduate design course at the University of Texas at Austin. This is a great book for engineers and engineering students who seek an understanding of proper design fundamentals and useful design tools. Emphasis throughout the book is placed on application of systematic and repeatable methods as opposed to ad hoc approaches. The book reads well and has sufficient depth for those interested in more than an overview of what design is about.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real version is a comprehensive resource, February 23, 2001

By 

"montygreer" (Univ of TX @ Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Product Design: Techniques in Reverse Engineering and New Product Development (Paperback)

The book is a comprehensive reference of design methodologies and techniques that are useful to both students and experienced designers. It has a wide range of approaches and a wealth of real world examples that illustrate and motivate the techniques. A worth while investment. The golden nuggets at the end of each chapter help the reader digest the reading, or if needed help the reader extract the high points of a chapter.