Novel product concepts are often down-selected in favour of the incremental development of available designs. This can be attributed to the fact that for the development of a new product, simulations and analysis based on high-fidelity CAD models are required, which are expensive to create. To solve this problem, the use of a function model (FM) as intermediate step between ideation and embodiment is suggested.

The approach has been examined in a case study with an aerospace company for the development of a turbine rear assembly, using multiple workshops and interviews with practitioners from the company. A multitude of novel solutions, even extending the functionality of the legacy design, were captured. The FM approach proved to support the representation, analysis, and configuration of 102 different concepts. Although supported by the FM model, the embodiment still showed to be a bottle neck for further development. The subsequent interviews with practitioners showed that the benefits of the approach were seen, but experienced as too complex.

Further work will concern a more systematic connection between the FM and CAD model, in order to automate of the embodiment process.

This study defines a methodological procedure for the design and manufacturing of a prosthetic implant for the reconstruction of a midsagittal bony-deficiency of the skull due to the Apert congenital disorder. Conventional techniques for craniofacial defects reconstruction rely on the mirrored-image technique. When the cranial lesion extends over the midline or in case of bilateral defects, other approaches based on thin plate spline interpolation or constrained anatomical deformation are applied.

The proposed method uses the anthropometric theory of cranial landmarks identification for the retrieval of a template healthy skull, useful as a guide in the successive implant design. Then, anatomical deformation of the region of interest and free-form modelling allow to get the customized shape of the implant. A full bulk and a porous implant have been provided according to the surgeon advises.

The models have been 3D printed for a pre-surgical analysis and further treatment plan. They fulfilled the expectancies of the surgeon thus positive results are predictable.

This methodology results to be reproducible to any other craniofacial defect spanning over the entire skull.

Design processes managed by algorithms provide solutions and improvements in terms of efficiency, performance, choice of materials, and cost optimization. It is a whole new approach to industrial design in which artificial intelligence participates directly in the design processes. The paper aims to investigate the way we design through algorithms, and consequent changes in thoughts, approaches, and generation of ideas that are rising determining new ways of defining things and their relations.

Current geometrical modelling approaches are unable to handle complex geometrical objects such as heterogeneous lattice structures. In this work, a framework for a novel bio-inspired geometric modelling method is proposed. The method can potentially support geometric modelling of heterogeneous lattice structures. The method utilises discretisation algorithms that are based on cell division processes encountered in nature. The method is verified on two 2D use-cases.

Industrial Data Analytics needs access to huge amounts of data, which is scattered across different IT systems. As part of an integrated reference kit for Industrial Data Analytics, there is a need for a data backend system that provides access to data. This system needs to have solutions for the extraction of data, the management of data and an analysis pipeline for those data. This paper presents an approach for this data backend system.

The definition of initial requirements in the early phase of product development is characterised as a decision process under highest uncertainties. Studies show that projects often deviate from their planned goals or even fail due to ill-defined requirements. Despite the importance and criticality of this task, a detailed description and risk-oriented explanation is missing in the product development literature. The goal of this paper is to develop an explanation model/frame which establishes a link between the development context and an appropriate procedure for the initial requirements definition based on general risk treatment strategies. In a first step, risk-driving context factors with high influence on this task are identified. Then two case studies are compared to analyse the interrelations between their context factors and the applied risk treatment strategies that are implemented in their procedures for defining initial requirements.

This contribution presents a systematic for the elicitation of objectives and the utilization of objectives to identify reference products. The systematic is based on existing meta models. The model of objectives as proposed in this research eases decision-making and outlines the next validation activities. A key success factor is the project transferability between teams, which is often necessary in predevelopment. This is ensured through comprehensibility of objectives which benefits from the linkage between the model of objectives and the knowledge base. The proposed systematic is applied to a predevelopment project which is used as case study. In the case study it has been shown that objectives can be used to identify reference products. The approach is validated in a live-lab setting with seven engineering teams with six graduate students, two engineers of an industrial partner and a research associate. Several workshops were used to train all members of the teams in the systematic. The effects of the systematic are assessed in dedicated interviews, a survey as well as with observation of the engineering teams during milestones and engineering activities between milestones.

Since project managers still face problems in managing interorganizational R&D projects, it is a promising approach to manage these projects project-culturally-aware. However, an important prerequisite for a project-culture-aware management is that the involved individual organizations pursue a collaborative strategy. Therefore, our article provides a conceptual approach including a new tool, the Collaborative Iron Triangle, which supports both project sponsors and managers in different phases of the collaboration process to pursue a collaborative strategy in interorganizational R&D projects.

Complex systems typically consist of many components and are subject to many requirements. Approaches like the V-Model support complex systems design by providing guidelines on how to break down large systems into smaller pieces. Models built with SysML provide documentation on an abstract level. However, neither incoporates detailed information on components that may be relevant for design decisions. In robot-like systems, e.g., the choice of transmissions will depend on the system dynamics of the robot. This is modeled in the time domain, where detailed time-dependent component interaction is considered. The design perspective, however, is best represented in the property domain. Here, requirements on static component properties are formulated.

This paper presents a generic approach that connects the property and time domains to enable early-stage design decisions. The approach is applied to a 1-link robot system with a simple demonstrator transmission model, including properties that are typically not considered in the early design phase, like a nonlinear stiffness characteristic with backlash.

3D printing is widely touted as a game changer in medicine and surgery, paving the way for point-of-care production of personalised medical devices. Nonetheless, to date, most reported applications of 3D printing in healthcare are restricted to specific scenarios in a few surgical disciplines, and little research exists on how 3D printing can be deployed more systematically beyond pioneer surgical departments. To understand the potential for 3D printing at a hospital level, we report the results of an interview study in a French general hospital. We analyse the current use of 3D printing and estimate the potential for new applications. We explore what share of these applications could be internalised, and what would be the organisational implications and the key success factors for an internal 3D printing unit. We find a large untapped potential for internal production of 3D printed products, spanning a much broader range of applications and hospital departments than what currently exists in the hospital. We then discuss important criteria to develop in-house 3D printing.

Due to the continuous progress in information technology, complex problems of machine elements can be investigated using numerical methods. The focus of these investigations and optimizations often aims to reduce the stresses that occur or to increase the forces and torques that can be transmitted. Interference fit connections are an essential machine element for drive technology applications and are characterized by their economical fabrication. The transmission of external loads over a large contact surface between the shaft and hub makes it less vulnerable to impact loads. These advantages contrast with disadvantages such as the limited transmittable power, the risk of friction fatigue, and stress peaks at the hub edges, which can lead to undesirable and sudden failure, especially in the case of brittle hub materials. Analytical approaches already exist for optimizing these connections, which are expensive, time-consuming, and complex, so a high degree of expert knowledge is required to apply these methods in practice successfully. This paper presents a novel method using the example of optimizing the pressure distribution in the interface of a shrink-fit connection.

Additive manufacturing (AM) processes are now integrated in industry. Therefore, new methods to design AM parts taken into consideration capabilities and limitations are necessary. It is very difficult for teachers to effectively guide students with ideas emerging from generative design tools. AM requires significant preparation and compromises. Topological optimization is also used depending on requirements. A significant impact on the final part quality is related to the part orientation and geometric dimensions. Therefore, this white paper focuses on detailed design steps to prepare future technicians and engineers to design for additive manufacturing. Active teaching pedagogy guideline is proposed. Students have to think in 3D and use analysis tools to create and validate the optimised design. They use immersive tools to review constraints and model diagnostic algorithm to generate data. Present approaches with design guidelines and tools enable to create AM rules based on it. Questionnaire shows that students need explicit knowledge information. Features recognition and geometry diagnostic are mandatory for complex model. Immersive tool helps to evaluate post-processing. They can now relate AM product-process relationship.

A data analysis method aiming to support cause and effect analysis in design exploration studies is presented. The method clusters and aggregates effects of multiple design variables based on the structural hierarchy of the evaluated system. The resulting dataset is intended as input to a visualization construct based on colour-coding CAD models. The proposed method is exemplified in a case study showing that the predictive capability of the created, clustered, dataset is comparable to the original, unmodified, one.

A Contradiction Matrix of TRIZ that classifies problems to solve as contradictions of features is an effective framework of knowledge management for problem solving. The features, however, may have a problem of completeness because they may not cover contradictions about all physical phenomena. In addition, rigidly structured Contradiction Matrix may have a problem of searchability because a relevant contradiction may not be properly searched if a recorder and a retriever describe it differently. To solve these problems, this paper proposes a semistructured contradiction matrix using not TRIZ features but physical quantities in SI unit. To enable not only exact match but also partial match in searching for relevant contradictions, dimensional similarity and qualitative value similarity of physical quantity and similarity between contradictions are defined. The proposed method is implemented as software in Python and contradictions are described in XML and stored in a semistructured matrix. From the result of similarity calculation between stored contradictions, possible effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed.

A growing trend of aging population of China has brought tremendous pressure on the domestic care system, and community education is one of the important content for elderly services. Based on the framework of SAPAD, the community English class in Guangzhou City is taken for case study. Depth research on three stakeholeders-the elderly, social workers and volunteers are carried out by interview, user observation and field research. 6 levels (physical level, syntactic level, empirical level, semantic level, pragmatic level and social level) are extracted based on SAPAD framework, and the behavior- object-significance mapping is completed. Significant clusters of multiple users at different levels are analyzed, and 16 core significant clusters are jointly built. By linking with clustering results of the syntactic level, 6 new function modules are obtained. Finally, the community elderly education service system is built through personas, service blueprint, touch points and storyboard. The new service system will improve learning efficiency, satisfactions and emotional appeals for the elderly, and work efficiency of social workers and volunteers.

How can we design and engineer research that leads to the development and effective implementation of complex healthcare interventions? We advocate for a systems design-based approach when initiating clinical research to anticipate the proposition of complex interventions. Using cognitive care as an example, we investigate how hybrid design-inspired methodologies can promote organisational effectiveness and how strong clinical evidence can support successful conceptualisation and uptake of novel interventions into routine clinical practice.

The availability of digital data in the fourth industrial revolution brings different trends with new opportunities and challenges for the engineering design community. As an opportunity, these trends would impact engineering design. However, the challenge is finding applications for these trends in engineering design. Crowdsourcing is one of the trends inspired by digital data. It is outsourcing an individually performed task to be mass-performed. This paper explores the application of crowdsourcing in identifying engineering design problems. Identifying an engineering design problem is an aspect of engineering design considered challenging but necessary for inventions. Secondary data from 63 invention-related cases and an interview with a renowned UK inventor are presented. The data contains scenarios on how the engineering design problems solved to qualify for a UK patent grant or application are identified. Lessons from the case studies are presented and discussed, especially regarding crowdsourcing engineering design problems. These seem to be promising ways of supporting the identification of new engineering design problems with inventive benefits once solved.

Healthcare services have evolved with advances in science, technology and societal needs. Despite being around for two decades, 'X-ray at Home' has seen limited adoption. Understanding its enablers and disablers can lead to insights to develop an accessible healthcare service ecosystem. Healthcare organisations have adopted design thinking to develop new products but healthcare service design is still in its introductory phase. This qualitative study describes the current state of home X-ray services in Mumbai and proposes touchpoints for raising awareness, acceptance and patient experience.

Energy consumed in buildings is a main contributor to CO2 emissions, there is therefore a need to improve the energy performance of buildings, particularly commercial buildings whereby building service systems are often substantially over-designed due to the application of excess margins during the design process.

The cooling system of an NHS Hospital was studied and modelled in order to identify if the system was overdesigned, and to quantify the oversizing impact on the system operational and embodied carbon footprints. Looking at the operational energy use and environmental performance of the current system as well as an alternative optimised system through appropriate modelling and calculation, the case study results indicate significant environmental impacts are caused by the oversizing of cooling system.

The study also established that it is currently more difficult to obtain an estimate of the embodied carbon footprint of building service systems. It is therefore the responsibility of the machine builders to provide information and data relating to the embodied carbon of their products, which in the longer term, this is likely to become a standard industry requirement.

To transfer methods from science to industrial application is an important task of engineering design researchers. However, the way in which this is done leaves still room for improvement. A look beyond the horizon into the intra-industrial transfer of methods can therefore be helpful. Based on general requirements and success factors as well as successful intra-industry transfer examples, this paper proposes the P4I process for the transfer of methods from academy to industry.