How to effectively design a machine?

Machines are at the very core of our civilization. They save time and extend our ability to perform tasks that would ideally be beyond our capacity. It is also a constantly evolving field that recognizes the needs and demands of society and proposes mechanical solutions which would make life easier. The examples of machines that were made to enhance the quality of human life are scattered throughout the centuries from pulleys to Hubble telescope to the modern-day jet engines.

However, designing a new machine is an arduous task and there are certain steps involved in this designing process that ought to be followed to create the best performing machines. Moreover, Machine Design Services are not just important to create new machines but also to improve the existing ones. In this article we look at the seven steps which are involved in the machine design process:

1. Recognizing the Need:

Mechanical Designers need to be constantly on their toes, observing what are their needs and figuring out design solutions that would help satiate them. Thus the very first step must be to prepare a statement of the problem, which should include the aim of creating a particular machine. The statement should also be detailed and clear providing all the necessary information about the purpose.

2. Evaluation of the Design Mechanism:

It is also imperative that a wide array of possible design mechanisms are considered which would ultimately lead to the required motion or a group of motions in a machine. By analyzing and shortlisting various choices only the best-suited option would be selected. Here, the aim and the purpose of the machine design should be always kept in mind so that the proposed design does address the need.

3. Selecting the right material:

The knowledge of materials and their properties is very significant as different parts of the machine could require different materials. The materials are selected based on their properties and on how much are they suitable to the conditions of operations. It means the effect the manufacturing process, analysis of the stresses, and heat treatment would have on the given material.

4. Analysis of forces:

The next step would be to check the location of each component in the overall machine design. It is also important to scrutinize how a particular component will interact with the other component, analyze how will the force act upon it and the energy transmitted by it.

5. Designing the Elements:

As stated each component is subjected to stress and other forces both during its manufacturing process and its operational lifecycle. The strength and durability of the machine depend on these stresses. It also involves checking of permissible amount of stress that each element and its material can tolerate. In order to effectively design the elements, Mechanical engineers may also look at the previous records of the product or call upon their experience and judgment to see what has worked well in the past.

6. Design Iteration for Manufacturing:

Theoretically designing a machine is not the objective of companies offering Mechanical Design Services is to ensure that the machine will be ultimately manufactured and rolled out for use. Thus, many times design changes need to be made to facilitate ease in the manufacturing of the machine and its components. Here, the availability of the technology for manufacturing an element or a machine is also considered.

7. Creating Detailed Mechanical Drawings:

This is the penultimate step in determining the kind of machine which is going to be built.  Here detailed drawings are created of how each component of the machine along with instructions on their assemblies and subassemblies. The detailed drawings should consist of information regarding the materials used, the dimensions of the components, etc. Today, modern software like CAD can be used to create accurate detailed mechanical drawings.

Once all this is done the product is sent for manufacturing and a prototype is created. There are necessary quality checks in place to check whether the manufactured product is as per the detailed drawings provided and up to the standard. Finally, if any issues are found they are addressed and the machine goes for reproduction, and once cleared it goes for mass production.