Design Solutions
Programme 3: Product Design

Aims

This programme aims to introduce students to the following:

To illustrate the stages of design involved in a brief with fairly tightly specified constraints
To show the various people involved in various aspects of the design process
To show the importance of experts working together
To demonstrate the role of testing in commercial design situations

Outline

This programme follows a team of designers creating a unique hi-fi system for a top-of-the-range sports car, focusing specifically on the amplifier cover plate.

0:00 – Introduction to the company, Linn Products, which specialises in high performance hi-fi and sound system equipment (CD players, tuners, amplifiers, speakers), including made to order, using high quality materials. The 300 employees work in an integrated environment of design, manufacture and distribution, as small project teams.

The client is Aston Martin. Sean Morris sets the brief and provides an outline specification for Linn Products. The Aston Martin Vanquish V12, a top-of-the-range sports car, requires a hi-fi system. The hi-fi must fit in the doors and boot space of the car (ie the existing 'physical packing' cannot be altered), must be in the style of Aston Martin and perform well in use and sound quality.

1:00 – The Linn product design engineer, Ruth Blair, is aware that mechanical aspects, aesthetics and ergonomics are high priority factors to consider in the concept designs for the amplifier cover plate and speakers and controls. She makes a visit to the client's factory and checks out the space available for the components in a cutaway full size Vanquish. This helps her identify the physical constraints, potential locations and begin to explore initial ideas. Linn Products plan to incorporate the existing speaker component and Ruth checks out the feasibility of this.

2:00 – The designer works on the design using simple sketches to explore possible solutions for the speaker fixing to the door and the amplifier cover plate in the boot. She aims to resolve issues such as technical details, fouling of different components, indicator lights, heat sinks and ventilation for the amplifier whilst maintaining a slimline style and ensuring Linn-type details and recognisable 'design cues' convey the house style appropriately (screw heads, fixings, lighting / indicators / reflector badge, counter-bolts, 'scoop cut' profile).

5:00 – The designer moves her concept ideas onto 3D CAD to allow her to view layout and check technical details.

7:00 – She takes the CAD drawing to Michael McGill, Project Engineer at Castle Precision Engineering for consultation about the production of her proposed design for the amplifier cover plate. She has a notion about the tool path and machining that will give the desired cut-out profiles, but this has to be discussed and tried out to check feasibility and inform her of changes required.

8:00 – The experiments indicate there is a problem in accuracy and quality. This is resolved by using a different (specially made) cutter profile, in one pass rather than two and subsequent tests are satisfactory.

10:00 – The CAD data is then transferred to Castle Precision Engineering to run a production batch of the cover plate and these are passed onto the Linn Products assembly team to incorporate the electronics.

12:00 – The final design solution for the hi-fi system is installed and an evaluation, in relation to the initial brief, is given by the client and designer. According to Aston Martin the system has been declared 'the best system in the world'.

13:00 – End of programme.

Curriculum Relevance

Scotland: National Qualifications: Craft and Design: Intermediate 2 and Higher

Unit 2 Designing for People

Outcome 1, 3 and 4. The programme shows the factors considered by a designer to help identify constraints, expectations and possibilities. It describes the designer's need to consider the balance of the style of the two companies involved, the expectations of user groups, the requirements for logos and also a recognisable house style of technical details

Outcome 2. The salient stages in the evolution of a product are described and teamwork is exemplified

Unit 3 Design for Commercial Manufacture

The programme provides a brief illustration of methods of manufacture for shaping sheet material - the issues and problems involved in meeting the desired quality and form. It indicates the relationship between the computer-aided design (CAD) model and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM)

England: National Curriculum KS4

Developing, planning and communicating ideas: a,b,e,f,g
Working with tools, equipment, materials and components to produce quality products; a,c,d
Evaluating processes and products; a,b,c,d
Knowledge and understanding of materials and components; c,d,e

General Curriculum relevance

This programme exemplifies aspects of designing and making and is suitable for use with Intermediate 2 and Higher classes. It shows the client describing the initial requirements of the design brief and outlining key factors to be included in the design specification. The designer describes the stages and phases required. These include initial research to find out more about the clients' product, sketching of ideas, developing ideas using 3D computer modelling, trialling and testing using samples and prototypes, discussing with others to check for / resolve potential problems before final production of the product and finally, evaluation from client and designer in relation to the initial specification.

There are various examples of the modes of communication used throughout the design process - sketching, 3D computer modelling, orthographic engineering views, asking for expert advice, testing though virtual modelling and prototyping.

Background

This programme describes the design process from brief through concept to development, production and evaluation feedback in terms of the requirements of the brief specification. It emphasises the factors to be considered clearly and provides an insight into the consultations necessary between design and manufacturer to achieve acceptable solutions.

The product is for the quality end of the market with fairly small unit product and high cost. It will contrast well with the study of some of the high unit productions and low costs of some plastic products.

Linn Products is an unusual design-manufacture-distribution company and is worth studying in order to place the programme in context. The team approach and manufacturing set-up at Linn Products provides another interesting comparison with a manufacturing company, which uses the assembly line approach. Check the website for further information (see links section). This offers teaching opportunities to compare manufacturing methods, materials and assembly appropriate for the various markets and unit number of production.

Aston Martin Vanquish is the car driven by James Bond in Die Another Day. Previous Bond movies have also featured various Aston Martin models.

Linn Products Limited is an independent precision-engineering company specialising in top performance sound reproduction. Founded in 1972 by Ivor Tiefenbrun, the company grew out of his belief that he could vastly improve the sound quality of his own hi-fi system. Every project is under the direction of one person from start to finish, and that person takes the responsibility for its success or failure. This policy applies to design and to the people who build their products. At Linn one product builder is responsible for the assembly, test and packaging of a product. Linn don't use production lines. They call this concept 'Single Stage Build'. Linn does have automation in the delivery of materials to the workstations and computer-controlled systems, which allows them to build what is required in response to each individual customer. This is 'real time manufacturing'.

Every job must have an owner and every employee must know their tasks and responsibilities. Every product that Linn makes bears the signature of the product builder. Each design is the responsibility of a project leader. This design engineer follows the product throughout its life as part of a multidisciplinary product team. Linn is committed to continuous improvement of its existing products to support its customer base and maintain and enhance its competitive advantage, so that their retailers can continue to sell their products by demonstration in competitive comparisons in retail premises throughout the world. Linn's policy has always been to tool individuals to the highest possible extent in order to facilitate their task and make their lives as easy as possible. To this end they employ computer-controlled machines, testing equipment, CAD / CAM, CIM, etc.

Activities

Before viewing the programme

Create mood boards or lifestyle boards to capture the idea of the user / target group for top-of-the-range luxury items. Explore the various mood and / or lifestyle boards to identify a common aesthetic. Develop a word bank to describe the desired emotion, style, attitude, elements, materials, etc.
Discuss with students the difference between continuous mass, batch and one-off job shop production. Develop general understanding of different cost implications per unit.
Involve students in considering what questions a designer should ask when discussing the initial brief.
Provide students with a structure for note taking while watching the programme by setting some key questions, eg:
Ask students to make notes on the people involved in the process and their roles in the development.
Note key points to be considered by the designer at the request of the client and her company.
What are the design cues / features that identify Linn as a 'house style'?
Record the problems encountered in the first manufacture trial and the solution to ensure good quality is achieved.

After viewing the programme

Ask the students to make a record of what they think the initial specification for the amplifier (cover plate) might have included and highlight the two highest priority factors to be considered. Give reasons why this might be so for the speaker and for the amplifier.
Identify the words used to describe the final design (discrete, subtle, 'Linn-like' and complements the product of Aston Martin').
Students should note the restrictions and constraints the designer has no control over, eg the number of units to be housed within the car, size of existing speaker hole, size of speaker component, the outline of the door space and boot space / features, the other components of the car which have to be accommodated. Discuss the role research played in the approach of the designer.
Why is a vertical mounting considered good for the amplifier?
Discuss the approach the designer took in tackling the design and ask the students to create a simple flow chart to capture the 'design journey', ie the research she had to do, the methods of communication she used, the experimenting and testing, etc.
Discuss the benefits of consulting with an expert in the field before finalising any ideas.
Students, working in twos or threes, refer to the Linn Products website to research the management, structure and set-up of the project teams and stock supply systems approach at the factory. Compare and contrast this to an assembly production line. Each group should note down three benefits and three weaknesses and give reasons for their opinions.
Ask the students to describe the reasons for the Linn /Aston Martin hi-fi system being classed as a luxury product.
Set students a design challenge which is based on a similar design context of utilising standard existing components (details provided for the students) within an identified constrained space. Alternatively, provide the students with a standard component item. (eg 2-d energy saver light bulb, speaker, motor unit for a hand blender). Set them a design brief which requires the component size to be considered and incorporated, taking constraints into consideration. Divide the students into two groups: those that will be designing for the top-of-the-range luxury market and those designing for mass appeal at mid-range.
Task 1: generate a range of concepts to meet requirements.
Task 2: select and develop one proposal to pitch to the client. The materials and general manufacturing method should be suggested at this stage to indicate consideration of market / added value / retail potential.

Links

This web page contains links to other websites that are neither controlled nor maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

Linn Products are a commercial manufacturing company with a difference. Components and assemblies are mass and batch produced but each hi-fi could be considered to be unique. Even the building itself is worth a mention. The new factory, designed by Richard Rogers, was the first purpose-built automated plant built in the UK, the smallest automated manufacturing plant built anywhere in the world, the first plant to use a single store for all materials irrespective of size or their stage in the production process, and the first plant to use automated guided vehicles as a fast, close-coupled high-frequency delivery system as opposed to conveyors, giving a quiet, safe, flexible system which met the company's goals. Check the website for more information www.linn.co.uk/linn_company/linn_innovation.cfm

http://www.castle-precision.co.uk/ for background on the manufacturing company, history and development, and the machines used to produce the required quality and standards.

Design Solutions Programme 3: Product Design