Daniel Leaker 10004782 DES09113

Radio

Critical Report

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Contents Page Product Aim 2 Material Selection 2 Injection Point 3 Draft Angles 3 Split Lines 3 Internal Wall/Sink 3 Undercuts 4 Screws 4 Printed Circuit Assembly 4 Mark Free Surfaces 5 Communication 5 Quality 5 Cost 6 Culture 6 Intellectual Property 7 Assembly Drawing 8 Top Casing 9 Bottom Casing 10 Battery Clip 11 SFX Speaker 12 Exploded Drawing 13 Development Board 14 Final Concept Board 15

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This critical report will address the technical details for the radio design such as draft angles, undercuts and mould fixings. It will also address more cultural issues such as communication, offshore manufacturing and intellectual property. Product Aim The aim of the radio design will be to generate sales and create a segment in the mid to high priced radio market from rivals such as Pure, Phillips and Roberts. Material Selection Materials Positives Negatives Price Acrylonitrile-butadine-styrene (ABS)

It is durable and tough, easily coloured and is also easily moulded. Very impact resistant. It has good flexibility.

Sunlight can cause yellowing and loss of strength without a protective coating. Its recycling ability is okay.

$1.50 – 2.80

Polycarbonate (PC)

Tough. Strong. High impact resistance. Can have a number of colours. Can be Reinforced. It is environmentally friendly. It has good tolerances: Thickness +/- .5mm. It has a very good finish. Better UV resistance than ABS.

Rigid. Expensive. It is not very flexible.

$3.80 – 4.30

ABS/PC Blend Very strong and still flexible. Heat resistant. It is also quite hard. It has good flow ability to reduce the size of wall thickness. Good surface finish. Good impact toughness. It also has good tolerance thickness of +/- .127mm

$2.65 – 3.55

Polyethylene (PE) It is easily molded. It’s durable and is low cost. It can come in a variety of colours. Its recycling potential is high.

It is difficult to print onto. It has low strength and stiffness. High thermal expansion.

$1.10 – 4.00

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From the analysis of all four materials the radio will be made from the blend of the polymers ABS/PC because of its strength, flexibility, good flow ability, its tight tolerances and moderate price. Injection Point The injection point is where the polymer material enters the mould. It should be positioned where the design is thickest. The point of injection will be located on the technical drawings. A submarine gate will be used to funnel the material into the mould because it can be placed on a non-visible side of the part.

Fig.1. Example of the submarine material gate.

Draft Angles The angle for the draft on all the radio sides will be set at 1 degree. Split Lines The split line is annotated on the Radio Assembly technical drawing. Internal Walls/Sink The internal wall of the radio design has been set to 60% of the outside walls to help prevent sink due to the buildup of too much plastic material that will warp the appearance of the radio.

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Fig.2. Example of a well-designed boss and a boss that causes sink.

Undercuts Undercuts are needed when one or more features to a design need a secondary pull mode to be ejected from the mould. This can come from the side to help in ejecting the product. An undercut will be needed for the bottom half of the radio casing because of the holes for the snap fits. The undercut needs to be coming from the snap fit holes on the curved surface, on the side wall and on the left side of the radio as well. Screws ISO metric threads will be used. The screws will conform to ISO 1502 General-purpose metric screw threads and BS 3643 ISO metric screw threads, specifications for selected limits of size. The metric screw that will be used is M3.5x.6.

Fig.3. Example of the threading of Metric Screws.

Printed Circuit Assembly The Printed Circuit Assembly (PCA) board will be secured onto the bottom half of the radio by four bosses and four M3.5x.6 metric screws to hold the PCA securely to the bosses. The soldering of the components onto the Printed Circuit Board (PCB) will be done by an automated system.

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Fig.4. Example of a PCA board of a Philips Radio.

Mark Free Surfaces All the surfaces on the radio that are mark free will be indicated on the technical drawings. Communication Communication with the manufacturer is invaluable in making the process run efficiently. A good way of communicating clearly with the manufacturer is to write clear statements of what you demand from them. This will help in making it clear to yourself and them what you want from the end products. If it is an offshore manufacturer make sure it is translated correctly. A good method of negotiating costs is to script what you are going to say before so that you are more powerful and persuasive. Quality The radio has to conform to the International Organisation of Standardisation to ensure that the product is safe and of the best possible quality. ISO 9000 ensures the quality management of the product and ISO 9000:2008 makes sure that the customer is constantly receiving this quality in the products that are supplied to them. Audits on the manufacturer and suppliers are ways to make sure that everything conforms to what was agreed such as:

Manufacturing process. Shipment process. Engineering change process. Invoicing process Quality process. Material Quality.

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Potential money can be lost from a manufacturer or supplier not conforming to a high standard of quality and the costs can be charged to your organization. A good quality management system is a way of recovering these poor quality costs.

Fig.5. Example of cost inflicted by poor quality.

Cost A well designed and reliable supply chain can significantly reduce the cost of raw materials and the transportation of these raw materials to the manufacturers. Ultimately, making the location of the manufacturer in relation to the supplier should be a priority. Market fluctuations can affect the price of the raw materials and increase the cost of the final product or reduce the profit from the product if it’s at a fixed price as a result. The price of the materials can also differ from what type of currency you pay with such as pounds, dollars or euros due to the exchange rates. Conflict can also affect the market price significantly for exporting raw materials. Culture One advantage of using an offshore manufacturer is that its much more cost effective, Resulting in the ability to price your product at a much better price with your rivals. However, in some areas the roads and communication networks are poor and make it harder to change the design as well as transporting the products. International shipping can also make it more complicated and expensive. The use of child labour and forced labour is also a concern with offshore manufacturers. There are also different cultural aspects that need to be considered when negotiating with manufacturers abroad such as in China:

Complimenting them on their business cards and receiving it with both hands and having it in front of you at all times during the meeting is a sign of respect.

Address them with their surname and then title. Small gift giving is welcomed. Engage in small talk before discussing business. Colour symbolism is very important in their culture. It is rude to whistle and show the soles of your feet.

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Intellectual Property The equivalent of the design registration in America is another type of patent and is a design patent that lasts for fourteen years. The design has to be shown from all possible sides and a perspective view. America’s process for their design patents is quite strict compared to the UK and Europe where it is more relaxed and the views of the design can be more vague. In the US the design is placed under the designers name and only be assigned to a company if the designer gives their permission. A brief description of the design is also needed and a fee like in the UK is also needed before the design patent is processed.

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