6 last minute engineering steps to improve project costs, success rates, and customer satisfaction
Avoid the temptation to rush
Engineers often take shortcuts and rush through the final phases of a design in order to meet tight deadlines, corporate targets, or customer expectations.
It is these last minute shortcuts that make projects extremely costly and reduce the success of an entire project.
While it is the engineers job to get the work done as soon as possible, it is important that their focus remains on the success of the project as this is in best interest of the customer.
Here are a few last minute steps that take minimal amounts of time and provide maximum rewards.
Last minute checks for engineers
Is the design safe? This is the most important factor to double check. Each part of the assembly should be double checked to make sure that it is safe to assemble, install, ship, and operate. Engineers must take time to double check all of their formulas, calculation inputs, material properties, and safety factors.
Are the drawings dimensionally complete? This is where the engineer must put on their machinist / fabricator hat and double check that no dimensions are missing from the drawings. Revisions to add missing dimensions are costly and unnecessary.
Does it assemble easily? Now the engineer must think like the technician who is putting the assembly together. Do they need any special tools? Is there enough room for a technician to use tools while wearing PPE? Do all the seals install simply and without damage?
Are all parts easily machinable? Small changes to a drawing can make a big difference in the cost of machining / fabrication. For example, making a corner radius 0.26 instead of 0.25 could save the machine shop from having excessive wear on their milling cutters.
Is it aesthetically pleasing? Your customer is ultimately selling or presenting the final part / assembly and they must be excited to do so. Checking the model in CAD and 3D printing prototypes allows you to gain immediate feedback from your customer. Small changes such as chamfers and radiuses can turn an average looking product into an exceptional one.
Repeat the above steps until the product is complete
The above steps can take as little as 1 hour and can radically improve the outcome of the project.
The checklist I used today
Below is a checklist I used today for completing a project we have been working on for the past month.
The checklist was built on www.usemyop.com
