A Qualitative Research Study on Manufacturing Approach

This project was part of the qualitative research study that I conducted as part of my MSE degree at the University of Michigan. Below is an excerpt of what may have been the introduction for the research paper (entitled: A parameter of the design process—when to finalize manufacturing approach and suggestions to improve engineering design curriculum), if we had decided to pursue publication.

Introduction

Designers must make many decisions in the design process, and these decisions govern the types of solution ideas that they consider. For example, a parameter that a part has to be lightweight focuses the designer to consider ideas that would reduce the weight of the part. Designers must balance many of these parameters at once in order to come up with an optimal design that meets all the requirements of a design problem. One important parameter that designers must consider is the type of manufacturing approach that they will use for a project. This one factor can impact the entire design of a product since a designer would be motivated to design carefully to meet the design constraints of the manufacturing method that they choose which could lead to designers becoming “fixated” on certain solution types. Thus, a critical look on when designers make manufacturing decisions is important and necessary to understand how this so-called “fixation” can be mitigated. Therefore, the first research question that this paper seeks to answer is: what are the strengths, drawbacks, and tradeoffs associated with decisions about finalizing manufacturing approach early versus late in the design process?

Engineering curriculum is designed carefully to help prepare students to become successful practitioners in industry. These students will soon be responsible for making important manufacturing decisions that will affect how long it takes to produce a product, the cost of making the product, the design freedom that the designer experiences while creating the product, and other key factors. It is therefore important to ensure that these students are adequately trained so that they can make these decisions in a manner that fits the expectations of their respective companies. Thus, the second research question that this paper seeks to answer is: in what ways does the engineering curriculum help or hinder students from making manufacturing decisions like practitioners? 

To answer these research questions, a rich sample of 27 interviews was conducted over the span of a summer—12 with practitioners from the automobile industry and 15 with undergraduate and masters students in mechanical engineering. The interviews highlighted each designer’s manufacturing decision making process for industry and class projects as well as reflected their attitudes towards the various manufacturing process. Rigorous qualitative analysis was performed on the interviews to understand the challenges and opportunities that these designers face when making key manufacturing decisions.