Fostering Circular Economy in Urban Areas

The 21st century is an urban world. Strategies that aim to tackle the urban material challenge and promote circular economy are necessary to achieve sustainable development. Having established the importance of circular economy towards sustainable development, this study presents applicable strategies to reduce consumption and promote circularity specifically in urban centers. Main strategies may be categorized into three areas: reducing material use through better design, efficient manufacturing and processing, and more intensive recycling. For materials use reduction, dematerialization, appropriate design based on product service lifetime, design for X principles and extended producer responsibility are identified as prominent design approaches or policies. For effective manufacturing and processing, the implementation of best available technologies and additive manufacturing were identified to have potential significant impact. For end-of-life phase management, differences between upcycling, recycling, and downcycling require targeted industry-specific policies.

Optimización del diseño en manufactura y ensamblaje de un producto de ayuda técnica para personas con movilidad reducida en la playa

Las playas han sido uno de los mayores atractivos turísticos de Costa Rica y el 76 % de los turistas extranjeros las han frecuentado en su estadía en el país. De hecho, Costa Rica fue elegido el mejor destino a nivel mundial para la población jubilada. Pero, curiosamente, una de sus mayores problemáticas ha sido que muy pocas playas son accesibles y amigables para personas con discapacidad o adultos mayores. Actualmente, existen solo siete playas con rampas para sillas de ruedas o entradas accesibles en el país. Para solventar este problema, fueron diseñadas las muletas Amphibio, una ayuda técnica para que personas con movilidad inferior reducida puedan disfrutar de este ambiente. Se estudió y aplicó la metodología de Design for X y Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA), con lo cual se logró optimizar el proceso de manufactura del producto y se concluyó con una nueva versión con mejoras significativas en su proceso de ensamble y fabricación. La implementación de estas metodologías en el desarrollo del producto logró generar un nuevo diseño tomando en cuenta no solo al usuario, sino también su fabricación y ensamblaje. Se observaron mejoras significativas en términos de cantidad de piezas, materiales principales, tipos de uniones y procesos de manufactura.

Methodology to Design for Product Service Supportability

In today’s world, processors must expertly structure sophisticated integrated remedies using modern technologies based on multiple functionalities demands and the rapidly changing perceptions of consumers. Due to this, it is considerably complete for the givers of Product Service Systems (PSSs) to attain all the essential designing requirements. Product designers have to focus on the essential objectives required by PSSs to attain in the whole lifecycle process based on various criteria and approach typically considered in trade-off balancing. Presently, Design-for-X (DfX) approach signifies the most fundamental projection to facilitate production developments based on features and stages of product lifecycle. It is considered that these stages and features support the designing of PSSs, product redesigning and developing engineered products based on x dimensionality with respect to supportability of services. In this paper, a methodology has been proposed for the generation of novel DfX protocols. As such, an application case in mold industry will be used to represent physical engineered productions, which are developed when services have been integrated or added.

Application of IDeS (Industrial Design Structure) to Sustainable Mobility: Case Study of an Innovative Bicycle

The present study aims to validate a new research method called IDeS (industrial design structure) through the design of an electric bicycle for everyday city life. IDeS is the latest evolution of a combination of innovative and advanced systematic approaches that are used to set a new industrial project. The IDeS methodology is sequentially composed of quality function deployment (QFD), benchmarking (BM), top-flop analysis (TFA), stylistic design engineering (SDE), design for X, prototyping and testing, budgeting, and planning. The present work illustrates how to integrate the abovementioned design methods and achieve a convincing result. In going through the IDeS method step by step, we compare the different solutions on the market in order to understand which are the best performing products and to understand what is missing on the market. This method allowed us to design a bicycle that is as close as possible to the “ideal bike”, obtained with the top/flop analysis.

Mathematical and Trade Based Optimization : "Synthetic" Method and Three Industrial Cases

The linear process of design-engineeringmanufacturing is nowadays obsolete. Even DFX (Design For X) methodologies are often replaced by Simulation for XFD (X being also Design) approaches. Optimization is also often applied before design. For instance, engineering design optimization of mechanical structures is nowadays essential in the mechanical industry (automotive, aeronautics ...). But optimizing mechanical structures cannot be efficient without taking in account other phases of the design-manufacturing process. In some cases, optimization is only based on trade kwnowledge. Engineers must then design parts or assemblies that are a better compromise, between mechanical and functional performance, weight, manufacturing costs etc. In this paper, after giving an overview on the different disciplines in design optimization of mechanical structures, we propose some trends to take into account the trade knowledge in the optimization/design phases. We propose an integrated approach to optimization in a functional design process with a methodological point of view. We present three different industrial cases of optimization on three examples : one in mechanical structures optimization, on based only on trade knowledge and the third mixing calculus and knowledge

Enhancing knowledge management in the PSS detailed design: a case study in a food and bakery machinery company

Most methodologies developed to support the Product-Service System (PSS) design consider the integration of service features into the product design from a high-level of abstraction and are usually focused on the conceptual phase, neglecting the detailed level of design. Besides, the Knowledge Management perspective is not considered in those methodologies, also affecting how new design knowledge is created, formalized, and shared across the company’s organization. The PSS Design GuRu Methodology, grounded on Concurrent Engineering and Design for X approaches, was developed to fill these issues. This study presents how the PSS Design GuRu Methodology can be incorporated into a PSS detailed design process in a B2B company operating in the food and bakery machinery sector, focusing the analysis on its contribution to promoting Knowledge Management. In particular, a detailed case of development and integration of a service feature—the installation service—to a product in the PSS scope is conducted. The PSS Design GuRu Methodology proves to be effective in supporting the generation, management, use, sharing, and reuse of new knowledge in the shape of design guidelines and rules.