Classification and choice in product design

Life is full of difficult choices. Everyone has their own way of dealing with these, some effective, some not. The problem is particularly acute in engineering design because of the vast amount of information designers have to process. This paper deals with a subset of this set of problems: the subset of selecting materials and processes, and their links to the design of products. Even these, though, present many of the generic problems of choice, and the challenges in creating tools to assist the designer in making them. The key elements are those of classification, of indexing, of reaching decisions using incomplete data in many different formats, and of devising effective strategies for selection. This final element - that of selection strategies - poses particular challenges. Product design, as an example, is an intricate blend of the technical and (for want of a better word) the aesthetic. To meet these needs, a tool that allows selection by analysis, by analogy, by association and simply by 'browsing' is necessary. An example of such a tool, its successes and remaining challenges, will be described.

An evaluation of a new product data model

Engineering companies face many challenges today such as increased competition, higher expectations from consumers and decreasing product lifecycle times. This means that product development times must be reduced to meet these challenges. Concurrent engineering, reuse of engineering knowledge and the use of advanced methods and tools are among the ways of reducing product development times. Concurrent engineering is crucial in making sure that the products are designed with all issues considered simultaneously. The reuse of engineering knowledge allows existing solutions to be reused. It can also help to avoid the mistakes made in previous designs. Computer-based tools are used to store information, automate tasks, distribute work, perform simulation and so forth. This research concerns the evaluation of tools that can be used to support the design process. These tools are evaluated in terms of the capture of information generated during the design process. This information is vital to allow the reuse of knowledge. Present CAD systems store only information on the final definition of the product such as geometry, materials and manufacturing processes. Product Data Management (PDM) systems can manage all this CAD information along with other product related information. The research includes the evaluation of two PDM systems, Windchill and Metaphase, using the design of a single-handed water tap as a case study. The two PDMs were then compared to PROSUS/DDM. PROSUS is the Process-Based Support System proposed by [Blessing 94] using the same case study. The Design Data Model is the product data model that includes PROSUS. The results look promising. PROSUS/DDM is able to capture most design information and structure and present it logically. The design process and product information is related and stored within the DDM structure. The PDMs can capture most design information, but information from early stages of design is stored only as unstructured documentation. Some problems were found with PROSUS/DDM. A proposal is made that may make it possible to resolve these problems, but this will require further research.

Product development: market depends on good processing

The article presents the harvesting techniques, and handling and processing of cultured carps. Carps are harvested similarly with all other species in tropical countries while temperate countries, winter season is much considered. Water quality is an important factor to be considered because it can affect the hygienic and organoleptic quality of fish. Carps were commonly sold live, filleted, cut into sticks, frozen, used as breaded sticks, canned, bottled, and smoked.

Value-added shrimp product is tops: market potential

The article discusses the potential for export of value-added shrimp products from developing countries. European Economic Community is considered to be one of the top consumers, while Thailand and India are two of the top producers.