1. Defining preliminary costs and performance specificationsBefore any product is designed, several criteria must be established, including market feasibility. This ensures that the proposed product fulfills a genuine need. Once feasibility and need are determined to be worth the risk of product design and marketing, the anticipated preliminary costs and proposed profit margin are defined.
When upper management is satisfied with the product’s potential financial success, the functionality and performance specifications are defined, along with the functional system requirements. Going forward, this will serve as a general blueprint for all functional levels. To assure that the functional requirements are met during this phase, the components and materials are specified, and the manufacturing processes are then defined.
2. Optimizing packaging design via modeling and simulationThe principles and challenges of mechatronics are first encountered in the packaging design phase. By using digital modeling and simulation techniques up front, you can minimize the cost and time required to produce the final physical end product.
At this stage, a diverse group of design professionals works cohesively as a collaborative team in their respective disciplines. These areas may include industrial design (conceptual and aesthetics); mechanical engineering (conceptual, functional, and manufacturing considerations); interaction design (software-hardware control interface); and electrical/electronic engineering (functional, power requirements, and insulation/shielding).