Phases of Design in Machine Elements:

The various phases in the design of machine elements are:

• Conceptual solutions: This involves the planning and defining of a detailed description of the machine element. The specific definition, which is used to identify customers, their needs and generate the engineering specifications, is required to be come up with. You should make hand sketches of five possible mechanical concepts in order to evaluate them. Then, the concepts should be judged on the basis of manufacturability, ease of usage, and aesthetics. Eliminate a few concepts in this manner and then explore the others.
• Design Exploration: This step leads from the refinement from a conceptual design to a sophisticated engineering product. To choose the best concept, see the one with inexpensive tools and part design, inexpensive combination of product processes and minimum additional parts and assembly time. Choose the best combination of ideas.
• Design Refinement: Focus yourself on only those ideas that you have selected after exploring your design. This will help you condense the bets of ideas into one design. Begin full size layouts so as to resolve basic questions in assembly, inter part fitting and manufacturing.
• Final Model and Drawings: Produce a complete package of drawings that will be used to construct the working models. Meet up with the potential manufacturers to get the best tools and costs. Validate human factors, provide a basis for generating engineering documents and allow finalization of a color scheme, logo and other aesthetics.
• Prototype Construction: Finalize the engineering design.  Work with your manufacturing vendors to create a model to be tested for mechanical and aesthetic purposes. A fully working prototype is constructed from the material corresponding to the most preferred production process.
• Final production Part Drawings: Meet the client at the end of your testing process. On the basis of the suggested changes, begin your final production drawings.  These drawings must reflect production consultation with the vendors.
• Production manufacturing and engineering management: Choose the best among two or three vendors and obtain competitive bids. The final document must contain a complete and tested documentation of drawings that can be used to assemble and manufacture the engineered product.

Questions:

• How should you explore your design?
• What should you do after meeting your client?