Lecture 11-12: Materials & Manufacturing Processes

Ceramics, glass, natural fibers or wood are often too expensive for mass produced good so metals or
polymers are generally used.

Metals

 Machining vs. Net Shape Processing

o Understand the differences in machining processes vs. net shape processes
 Machining is preferred at low production volumes as they have low start-
up costs and high costs per piece. Machining may involve milling, turning
grinding and EDM processes.
 Net shape processes have higher start-up costs because they require
expensive tooling and are usually used only if the production run is long
enough to cover cost of tooling. Metal forming is a net shape process, it
includes forging, casting, molding, sheet forming.
o Identify advantages/disadvantages of machining and net shape processes
o Identify factors that influence a decision to choose machining vs. net shape
 Machining
 Adv- high precision and good finish
 Disadv- higher cost per part, slower
 Net shape process
 Adv- Can turn out pieces very fast, cheaper cost per part
 Disadv- high up front cost(tools, designing die)
 Tools & Dies
o Understand the nomenclature for tools & dies
 Dies form metals(forging die, sheet metal die), molds form non-
metals(glass mold, injection mold)
o Explain the factors that tool designers must consider in order to achieve accurate
parts
 Tool distortion under heat and load
 Shrinkage of the part
 Flow of heat within the tool
 Flow of the material within the tool
 Withstand high stresses and temperatures
 Take and maintain high surface finish
 Resist cracking and fatigue failure
 Be relatively easy to machine
 Tolerate welding for repair
o Understand the common issues that arise with the tooling after production is
underway
 Tooling wear- changes part geometry
 Fatigue failure- due to mechanical and thermal cycles
 Variability in feed stocks
 Net shape processes for metal: Casting & Forming
 Casting- Molten metal is poured or injected into a closed die
 Forming- Material starts as billets , ingots, sheets and is permanently
deformed into the desired shape
o Compare & contrast material/physical characteristics of parts made via forming
vs. casting (at a general level)
 Casting- used to create complex, intricate geometry of parts. Parts can
have internal cavities
 Forming- forging requires finishing steps, sheet metal forming may not
require finishing. Produces part that have high strength
o Explain how the processes may influence part geometry (or vice versa)
 Forming cannot create parts with internal volumes, can’t create complex
geometries
 Casting is expensive and dangerous but creates complex geometries
 Machining produces parts within high tolerances
o Identify which processes produce parts that typically require secondary
operations, and explain why
 Parts formed require finishing, metal is relatively cold when worked on so
it resists deformation more so it does produce a good finish.
 Understand how parts are made via the billet forming processes: forging, extruding, cold
forming
o Forging- produces strong and durable parts with uniform material composition
and structure. The parts cannot be complex and have low tolerances and a poor
finish.
 Several series of die are required to get the final shape when forging and
the blank is reheated between dies
 The flash gutter removes excess material
o Extruding- constant cross section components are formed using this method
 The material is forced through a die
o Cold forming – produces very high strength parts but this also puts a lot of stress
on the tools
 Material is flowed into desired shapes while maintaining its grain structure
 Used for simple shapes such as fasteners
 Explain the characteristics of sheet metal forming, and advantages/disadvantages of the
processes
o Performed at room temperature and stresses are much lower than billet forming
o Good for high production volumes
o No finishing required and can produce complex shapes(can pop tops) with tight
tolerances(Watch gear)
o The tooling is expensive but can be repaired continuously
o The metal resists deformation so the designers have to take into account spring
back by slightly over-bending the metal.
o Long constant cross-section pieces can be formed using roll forming process, the
material is passes through many rolling mills, each slightly altering its geometry
towards the required final shape. This produces intricate but relatively flat parts
 o Blanking is cutting out a desired shape through the sheet metal. If the hole size is
important then it’s called piercing, if the blank size is important then it’s called
blanking
 Explain the characteristics and advantages/disadvantages of metal die casting
o Casting works a material in its liquid or semi-liquid state. Parts are not as strong
as formed parts but can produce very complex shapes
o High strength but not as strong as forged parts
o High tolerance but not as good as machined
o The process is expensive, is dangerous and requires further finishing
o Two types of casting, Expendable tools and permanent tools
 Expendable, lost wax casting, sand casting lost foam casting
 Lost wax is a labor intensive process that produces highly complex
parts, used to make jewelry
 Sand casting sand formed around pattern and pattern is removed
before material is poured in
 Lost foam – foam evaporates on pouring
 Permanent- Used in industry
 Mold casting – steel mold used to make parts that are not too
complex or don’t have thin walled sections.
 High pressure die – Produces complex, thin walled parts that a
high quality and high tolerances.
 The die is short lived due to thermal fatigue.

Polymers

 Understand the difference between thermoset and thermoplastic polymers

o Thermoplastics melt when heated and recyclable, most used plastic type
o Thermosets undergo chemical reaction when processed so cannot be recycle or
reused
 Understand the difference between a polymer and a plastic
o Polymers are composed of repeating groups called mers and plastics are polymers
plus additives
 Consumer resins: What we mostly encounter and has its own resin ID to make it easier to
recycle and reuse
 o Know the resin acronyms & ID numbers
 1-PET=Polyethylene terephthalate
 2-HDPE=High Density Polyethylene
 3-PVC=Polyvinyl Chloride
 4-LDPE-Low density polyethylene
 5-PP=Polypropylene
 6-PS=Polystyrene
 7=Engineering resins
o Know how each resin is typically used (give an example product)
 PET- used in drinking bottles and clothing. Pliable at rt
 HDPE- used in milk jugs, food containers and toys. Pliable at rt
 PVC-used in pipe and plumbing, toxic when burned. Brittle at rt
 LDPE-plastic bags, tubing, squeeze bottles. Not strong as HDPE. Pliable
 PP-autoparts, industrial fibers, pallets. Tough and flexible at rt
 PS-toys, plastic cutlery solocups. Brittle at rt
 Engineering resins=Lexan, nylon, ABS etc.
o Explain the relationship of the resin ID & the recycling symbol
 Easier to separate for recycling by ID number
 Processes for Polymers
o Explain the characteristics of products made with each process
 Blow molding- used for bottles and toys
 Compression molding- used for bottle caps, hard hats
 Extrusion- pipes, building materials
 Injection molding- everything and anything
o Explain advantages/disadvantages of the processes
 Blow molding- plastic is melted and formed into a preform which is
placed into a mold and air is blow into it to push it into shape
 Adv- creates hollow parts
 Compression molding- uses heat and pressure to form material into
desired shape
 Adv- can make complex forms
 Extrusion- Creates parts that have constant cross section and can be
performed on hot or cold material.
 Injection molding- most commonly used technique
 Adv-creates a wide array of parts
 Disadv- requires air advanced knowledge and costs to make mold
o Explain considerations that a designer must make if they are going to use a certain
process
o Explain common injection molding flaws: the causes, the consequences, and
strategies to avoid/conceal the flaws
 Weld Lines- caused by multiple gates entering mold, the flow separates
and joins together around obstacles
 Place gate at thick end with least flow length
 Sink marks – surface flaws that arise from plastic shrinking as it cool
  Or due to part being designed with thick and thin sections
 Can be minimized by placing gate at thick end or having internal
runners if that is not possible
 Have gradual transition between designed with uniform wall
thickness

 Related Reading
o Juicero Case Study: In the context of our discussions about the design process and
design choices, be able to identify some factors that led to the Juicero's demise.
 Disregarded constraints and over engineered product

Lecture 13-14: Design for Manufacture & Assembly

 Explain the nature of the relationship between manufacturing & constraints

 Identify some constraints that would be prevalent at this stage of the design process
 Explain the ways in which DFM & DFA relate to other areas of the design process, such
as product architecture & usability
 Identify design strategies for reducing costs (of manufacturing, part handling, assembly
time, etc.)
 Explain how design choices made early in the process can have far-reaching impacts
 Explain the core ideas & guidelines of DFA
 Understand how Design for Assembly relates to designing for humans
 Understand and be able to describe design strategies that can minimize costs / part
handling / assembly time
 Explain how integrated or modular architectures impact manufacture or assembly
 Understand how part symmetry can impact DFA
 The Boothroyd-Dewhurst Method
o Understand the goals of the method
o Understand how the flowchart works
o Understand the 3 questions that the flowchart uses to "interrogate" parts
o Explain the implications of employing the Boothroyd-Dewhurst method
 Related Reading:
o "Inside Apple's Perfectionism Machine": Explain the ways in which design
choices, constraints, and manufacturing capabilities influenced the design of
Apple's MacBooks. (For example: What was innovative about the new MacBook?
What allowed them to be so innovative in their work? What were some
constraints on their design?)
o "A Design Engineer Explains Why Your Car Is So Boring":
Make general connections to manufacturing, product portfolios, and product
architecture in order to identify constraints that dictate why a car might be so
"boring"