Aspects of Economic Production

Abstract

Designing any product involves consideration of its purpose, working reliability, method of manufacture, cost and appeal to the purchaser. The designer’s original idea will probably have embraced only purpose and function; now it must be related to economic production and the requirements of the factory floor. These two groups of aspects frequently conflict and their reconciliation may not be easy. Functional efficiency must be the engineer’s first concern, but the advice of the production engineer also is essential. The production engineer should be an active participant in any design, either as a member of the design team or as a consultant. His knowledge of works plant, the cost of specialist production by outside firms and the availability and price of materials may enable him to suggest alterations to the design to achieve the most economical methods. Alternatives will need to be discussed. For example, should cast work be eliminated by fabrication; or can fabrication be replaced by presswork? Ought the design to be modified to reduce the number of machining operations; or can a non-standard be replaced by a standard component to provide interchangeability?