Minimization of Risks and Difficulties from DESIGN to MASS PRODUCTION for Powertrain Components and Modules 2011-01-0524

One main general goal during product development in the passenger car industry as well as in the commercial vehicle industry is to reduce time to market.

The customer wants to get the newest product and is not accepting the risk of any product call backs. This means the minimization of the risk of field claims for the manufacturer.

The challenge to reach this goal is a capable volume production of each new product.

To create a competitive, innovative product it is the task for design and simulation engineers in the development phase to design the product in view of function, efficiency, fatigue strength, optimized weight and optimized product costs.

Additionally an agreement between design and industrial production planning is required. An early involvement of production engineers into the development of a product ensures design for manufacturing from the very beginning.

In the prototype phase typically high quality of parts is required, volume production criteria like cycle time or tool lifetime will not have high importance in this phase. For volume production on the other hand, optimized quality is required which ensures the product function but also manufacturability and production process capability. The target for volume production is a repeatable and sustainable quality level.

The approach shown in this paper considers an early close contact between production engineers and design engineers which enables virtual design for manufacturing and virtual design to cost already in an early development phases without having actual prototype hardware available. Materials, Casting-, forging- and machining processes, measurement processes, manufacturing tolerances, application requirements and cost estimations will be considered and adjusted to early define a mature product.

For example the consideration of manufacturing tolerances can influence the choice of the manufacturing technology or considerations on the manufacturing process can have an influence on the material selection for the product. Additionally the production volume will influence the manufacturing strategy, level's of automation and technology.

Today sometimes a step in manufacturing technology is necessary to achieve ambitious targets for function, manufacturability and product costs. Using new production technologies (e.g. cold forming instead of machining) requires in most cases a specific component design specifically for the intended manufacturing method from the very beginning.

This intensive Simultaneous Engineering requires the involvement of production engineering from concept planning via detail planning to realisation and validation. Process drawings and control plans considering process capability for mass production will be adjusted according to design. Production engineering is responsible for a smooth transition from the design process via the planning process up to the confirmation of process and installation of equipment and final acceptance.

AVL incorporates the manufacturing view for volume production into the design of the products and optimizes the development process by considering specific requirements of volume production.

It can be concluded that early simultaneous engineering minimizes risks and difficulties from virtual design to mass production, reduces time to market, optimizes product costs and will help to avoid field claims.