Risk Assessment: Merging Design with Reality

The Tech Group continues to incorporate proven design practices to meet the ever-changing demands of providing innovative solutions. A focus team was formed for Early Supplier Involvement and is located at the Customer Engineering Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. The ESI team has implemented a proven CAE service that will ensure fast, practical and accurate results. According to Alex Casados, Tech Group Sr. Project Engineer, "CAE offers the best of both theoretical and practical knowledge of design manufacturability."

A design is simulated to predict the optimal molding conditions. Several iterations of gating scenarios and wall thickness variations are evaluated until set objectives are reached. There are three main aspects of the process that are analyzed: filling, packing and cooling. The insights gained are crucial aspects in getting the product from art to part. The benefits include:

	Consolidation of parts, if applicable
	Integrated system assembly
	Molded-in assembly features
	Cost-effective design
	Design optimized for manufacturability
	Reduction of potential problems

A recent project, involving a jewel case, presented several design challenges, from existing design limitations and poor yields, to an undefined design goal and costly assembly methods. While working with the customer, several concepts were created in an attempt to resolve these issues. Changes were made until the customer felt comfortable with the design direction. The assembly of these components offered the biggest challenge. The traditional method of assembly involved a secondary operation with a sonic weld procedure.

The ESI Team focused on design features that optimized cycle time and product performance. They found that from the original design concept, to the modified version, there was a 'snap-fit' design that held the parts together better than the sonic weld procedure. The team conducted a study via CAE that looked at warpage and flatness: one of the more critical attributes of this part. Flow leaders were adjusted to promote axial flow and rigidity to reduce warpage. During that same analysis, flow paths for the family tool were balanced to create uniform properties. By adjusting flow leaders and incorporating the "snap-fit" feature, material content was reduced and cycle time improved by 32 percent.

Manufacturing challenges provide opportunities to bring more value to our customers. The ability to analyze issues before product design is complete is the true benefit of using CAE. The biggest pay back of optimizing a product design for manufacturability is reducing or eliminating costly engineering changes.