One design direction is selected and refined further. Detailed CAD models are made and prototype(s) are created. Design criteria are revisited and design is finalized. The final design is then presented.
Examples from Master's Degree Project
Unlike typical thesis, the MDP (Master's Degree Project) document of this project does not end with "conclusion" but ends with "discussion". The final design of this project is not to finalize my design ideas but for further discussion and design development.
Prototyping
Design ideas have been visualized through rough and detailed sketches, sketch models and CAD drawing. The latest idea is finally realized through prototyping. This is a full-scale appearance model that partially works. More works need to be done to make a full working model. However, it is more comfortable to sit in than I previously expected.
Detailed CAD Modeling
CAD is a powerful design tool during design development and refinement stages, and it also works, as many people expect, very well for detailed technical drawings. GA (general assembly) does not need to be rendered like the example below. This drawing is to show GA and also to show the appearance of the models in the MDP document.
Presentation
Thanks to today's design software, design can be presented in multiple media. This web site is only one of many examples. Printed presentation boards are still used to show design solutions in many occasions. This poster was presented in a student conference at the Faculty of Environmental Design.
Examples from Engineering Design Project, Early Mobility in Pediatric Critical Care Unit
Early Mobility in Pediatric Critical Care Unit is one of the featured product design projects of GMC Center for Engineering Design, Walter G. Booth School of Engineering Practice, McMaster University. In a group of three engineering students, I designed the principal mechanical part with my design skills and the understanding of engineering principles.
Detailed CAD Modeling
I made this detailed CAD model from scratch with my design skills, the knowledge of SolidWorks and the creative mind without mechanical engineering background. I made this CAD model in the design development stage, and the aim of the model was prototyping for testing functionality and usability; manufacturing would be a next step. Therefore, this model is designed to be assembled out of ready-made components and off-the-shelf materials with school facilities.
Presentation
This poster is made based on the template provided by the program. I successfully showed the product in its intended use environment with primary and secondary users, i.e., a physiotherapist and a pediatric patient. I made every material with SolidWorks from scratch.
This engineering design project was an interesting experience for me to see differences between design and engineering. One of the other group members has mechanical engineering background. He has the knowledge of mechanical engineering, knows how to use a CAD program, but does not have a capability in designing a product; he cannot design anything from scratch. He is not a typical mechanical engineer, and I am not saying that every designer has the capability in designing a product. However, this example demonstrates that pure engineering does not work by itself without design thinking, design skills and creativity.