mpd 575 design for product evolution jonathan weaver

MPD 575MPD 575

Design for Product Design for Product EvolutionEvolution

Jonathan Weaver

DFPE Development History

• Originally developed by MPD Cohort 3 team of Dwayne Moncrief, Paul Norton, Bo Prudil, and Ben Saunders, in Fall 2002.

Design for Product Evolution (DFPE)

• What’s DFPE?• Why DFPE? • Examples• Conclusions


Webster defines Evolution as “process of continuous change from a lower, simple, or worse to a higher, more complex, or better state. ”

We interpret Product Evolution as“ incremental changes that add functionality

or change product characteristics without necessitating a wholesale product redesign.”


• What’s DFPE?

• Why DFPE?

• Examples• Conclusions


• Extends product life cycle.• Reduces program life cycle cost.• Enables low cost future product feature

enhancements.• Helps to achieve commonality across

product lines.• Enables quick response to change to ever

changing market demand.


• What’s DFPE?• Why DFPE?

• Examples• Conclusions

Design for Product Evolution• Design for Automatic Transmission Evolution• Design for Automotive Safety• Design for Alternator Evolution• Design for Die casting Evolution• Design for Computer Evolution• Design for Machine Tool Evolution• Design for Vehicle Freshening Evolution

– Instrument Clusters– Seats– Switches– Badging

Design For Transmission Evolution

• Minimum design consideration for future transmissions updates.

• Drive to meet target specifications.• Drive to cut cost.• No common strategy – each transmission has

many unique parts requiring unique manufacturing process, strategy and calibration.

Design For Transmission Evolution - AXOD

• Original AXOD design targeted for maximum 2.8L normally aspirated engine application.

• Engine torque truncation is required for transmission to operate in current applications with 3.8L or 4.6L engine.

• Demonstrates clever engineering, but a lack of foresight in terms of product evolution.

Design For Transmission Evolution - AXOD

• AXOD design considered non-synchronous shift originally, but the concept was rejected.

• AX4N design upgrade (a non-sync design) was required to improve shift quality, durability and torque capacity concerns that could have been addressed in the initial AXOD design.

Design For Transmission Evolution

• However, some subsystems exhibit consideration of future needs.

• Examples:• Bulkhead connection on E4OD transmission

designed with extra pins for future added functionality, a lesson learned from previous designs.

• New Black Oak processor for Powertrain control is currently faster and more powerful than required.

• Projections of future software complexity are considered in the design of calibration tools.

3-speed to “5”-speed Transmission Design Evolution

• C3 -> A4LD -> 5R55.• 3 to 4 speed - added O/D gear set.• 4-speed closed architecture.• A 5-speed is really 4-speed with 2nd gear OD.• Same gear span for 4 and 5-speed.• Minimum fuel benefit.• Marketing catch?

A4LD and 5R Same Transmission Architecture Gear Span

A4LDE 4-speed 5R55E 5-speed

1 2.47 2.47

2 1.47 1.86

3 1.00 1.47

4 0.75 1.00

5 0.75

R 2.11 2.11

Gear Span 3.29 3.29

4R and 6R Same Transmission Architecture Gear Span

Gear 4R100 6R110

1 2.71 3.09

2 1.54 2.2

3 1.0 1.54

4 0.71 1.096

5 1.0

6 .71

R 2.18 2.88

Gear Span 3.82 4.34

ZF Good Design Practice For Future Updates

From 5 to 6 speeds with open type architecture - enables adding additional gears without major transmission tearup and offers opportunity to reuse majority of components.

ZF 5 and 6-speed Transmissions

Gear 5HP 5-speed 6HP/6R 6-speed

1 3.55 4.17

2 2.23 2.34

3 1.56 1.52

4 1.0 1.14

5 0.79 0.87

6 0.69

R 3.78 3.4

Gear Span 4.49 6.035

Good Design Practice For Future Updates Example

Extra space left for future torque converter changes (K-factor, stall speed, input torque); possibility to increase the pump output and input shaft diameter for higher torque applications.

Transmission Case With Transfer Case Casting Attachments

This transmission is used in both 2 and 4- wheel drive applications using the same transmission case.

Transmission Case W/O Transfer Case Casting Attachments

Good Design Habits For Automatic Transmission Evolution

• Leave space for both axial and radial torque converter updates.

• Leave space for converter damper/isolator updates.• Leave space for pump capacity updates.• Allow for clutches, shafts, and bearings updates.• Make provisions for easy 4x4 transfer case

attachments.• Design for “open” type architecture.

Transmission Design Recap

• Adding gears to current transmissions nearly impossible (“closed” type architecture).

• Difficult to update for higher torque capacity and higher speeds (shafts, clutches, pump) w/o complete transmission tear up.

• ZF open type transmission architecture allows for more updates with less changes to current parts.

Automobile Safety Solutions

• The innovative use of materials plays a significant role in making automobiles safer.

• New materials are applied mainly to the interior.

• The focal point are airbags and inflatable side curtains – there are more of them, deploying at variable speeds, and staying inflated longer.

New Materials For Safety

• Airbags coated with the special sealant compound that forces air to escape through pinholes in the fabric instead of the seams; airbags inflation time increased up to 7 sec.

• New resins used for I/P and the the door panels to prevent material disintegration when airbags are deployed.

• Long-Glass Fiber Polypropylene material made by JCI ensures that once the hidden airbag deploys there won’t be parts breaking off from the I/P and flying toward the occupants.

• Visteon Laminate Injection Molding (VLIM) material is able simultaneously create hard and soft surface through one injection molding of I/P.

New Materials For Safety – cont.

• FloorUse of “sandwiform” composite material – consists of honeycombed cellular core placed between two thermoplastic skins reinforced with glass; material is light, strong, can be recycled, and is easy to manufacture.

• Bodyshell“Betaform” Structural Foam material is made with a water-blown polyurethane; fills closed body cavities such as rails, pillars, and rocker panels; improves body stiffness and increases safety by improving the load transfer path during a crash.


• Door Panel

Eco-Cor material by JCI is a 50-50 blend of natural and polypropylene fibers which is cheaper, lighter, has improved acoustics, and is stronger compared to conventional steel panels.

• B-Pillar

Sequal 2321 material is an impact resistant material that does not splinter when the side airbag deploys during a collision; this material is used on both covers for the B-pillar to simplify the manufacturing process.


• Ride and Handling

“Vibracoustic Microcellular Urethane” – more pliable form of rubber that reduces noise, vibration, and harshness; the material is used to integrate body mounts and jounce bumpers (the jounce bumpers reduce the impact harshness of moderate to large impact event such as driving through potholes); the system provides more consistent ride over a variety of road inputs.

Design for Alternator Evolution

• The alternator has a modular assembly with defined components: rotor, stator/rectifier, voltage regulator, front housing, rear housing and pulley. Modularity facilitates Product Evolution.


• These components can easily evolve with the broadening of technology. Special attention must be paid to the architecture and engineering of the system to ensure compatibility.


• The rotor produces the magnetic field that supplies voltage. There are five distinct parts: slip ring, rotor shaft, rotor assembly, rotor coil assembly and rotor halves.


• All of the parts in the rotor can be optimized, individually if needed, as innovations become available in the marketplace (ex. stronger shafts, more conductive wire coils and slip rings, etc).


• The fan blades can be redesigned to improve air circulation in the interior of the alternator to keep it cool.


• The stator produces the alternator’s output. Product evolution could involve changes in stator to alleviate inaccuracies in construction which can cause variability in performance.


• The voltage regulator controls alternator output.

• Modularity of the design of this component allows redesign to be done without affecting the rest of the unit.

Design for Die casting Evolution

• In die casting, dies are made so they can be upgraded or changed to make a different detail on a casting or a totally new part.

• Instead of purchasing a complete new die the inserts can be altered or replaced.

Design for Die casting Evolution

Design for Computer Evolution

• Due to the high rate of product innovation in the consumer PC markets, design for product evolution is imperative.

• Modular designs are the norm for personal desktop computers.

• Even laptops exhibit modularity within their restrictive size, weight and power consumption constraints.


Standard slots for CDand disk drives allowupgrades without a complete redesign.


Industry standard pin outson peripheral connectionsfacilitate easy evolution and capability upgrades, inside and outside of the machine.


Memory Expansion slots allow upgrades in capabilitywithout complete system changes.


• Modularity has become a necessary attribute for participation in the PC market because of the rapid rate of product evolution.

• Modularity must be supported by the underlying electrical and software operating system architecture.

• “Plug and Play” has been an industry objective since the introduction of the Pentium chip.

Design for Machine Tool Evolution

• Consideration for Design Evolution in machine tools usually means easy retrofit to add components for additional functions.

• Additional hydraulic and pneumatic control components are often necessary for added functions.

• Higher performance components are not normally substituted as is done on PC’s.


Machine Tool control design always providesspare space and wiring for added functionality.


These pneumatic solenoids are plugged onto a manifold that provides both control signals andair pressure. Porting is to the right side. Note the closure plates for unused positions.


Some Design evolutions lead to improved (read: less expensive) manufacturing methods, i.e. plastic hose vs. formed steel tubing.

Design For Vehicle Freshening Evolution

• Develop all the radios to fit within the same package. When technology progresses, we have the ability to adapt it into the radios

• The message center on the instrument cluster can be reconfigured to work with new information or technology.


Example of IP Clustering to show White-lighting and Message Center


Example of Common radio packaging with integrated technology:In-Dash CD Changer, Navigation System, RDS features


• Door and seat bolsters are designed so that fabrics can be changed.

• Buttons, switches and knobs use the same housing bodies, so we can change the visible "caps" to freshen the appearance.

• Eliminate locator holes on exterior badging, so that the vehicle can be freshened by relocating the badges without having to change the metal stamping dies.


Common seat frames and cushions example


Example of seat freshening with integrated head rest


Example of seat freshening with head rest separate


Example of common housing body for freshening


Examples of switch freshening using common housing


Example of old badging tooling holes


Example of freshening without tooling holes


• What s DFPE?• Why DFPE? • Examples

• Conclusions

Conclusions

• No planning for future updates = paying more later on.

• Avoid closed-end type designs.

• Customers prefer small-step product evolution.

• Changes necessary to maintain competitive position.

Conclusions – cont.

• Good design:– Meets current and also future anticipated customer

needs. – Allows for technology advances to be incorporated

in an existing product without a redesign.– Consideration for evolution is most important in

product chunks that are undergoing rapid technological change.

– Consideration for evolution is also especially important in product areas with a “fashion” function.

Conclusions – cont.

• Modularity facilitates design evolution.

• Design team must have a vision for the future.

• Design team has to have knowledge of future trends in technology, as well as in industrial design.

mpd 575 design for product evolution jonathan weaver

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