Product Architecture

Teaching materials to accompany:

Product Design and Development
Chapter 10
Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger
5th Edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2012.
Product Design and Development
Karl T. Ulrich and Steven D. Eppinger
5th edition, Irwin McGraw-Hill, 2012.
Chapter Table of Contents:
1. Introduction
2. Development Processes and Organizations
3. Opportunity Identification
4. Product Planning
5. Identifying Customer Needs
6. Product Specifications
7. Concept Generation
8. Concept Selection
9. Concept Testing
10. Product Architecture
11. Industrial Design
12. Design for Environment
13. Design for Manufacturing
14. Prototyping
15. Robust Design
16. Patents and Intellectual Property
17. Product Development Economics
18. Managing Projects
Planning
Product Development Process
Concept
Development
System-Level
Design
Detail
Design
Testing and
Refinement
Production
Ramp-Up
Product architecture is determined early in the development process.
Platform
decision
Concept
decision
Decomposition
decision
Product Architecture Example:
Hewlett-Packard DeskJet Printer
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Outline
Definition
Modularity
Steps for creating the architecture
Related system level design issues
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Definition
Product Architecture
A scheme by which the functional elements
of the product are arranged (or assigned)
into physical building blocks (chunks) and
by which the blocks interact.

Product Architecture: Definition
The arrangement of functional elements into
physical chunks which become the building
blocks for the product or family of products.
Product
module
module
module
module
module
module
module
module
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Considerations at product
architecturing
How will it affect the ability to offer
product variety?
How will it affect the product cost?
How will it affect the design lead time?
How will it affect the development
process management?
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Modular vs. integrated
architecture
Modular
Chunks implement one or a few functional elements in their
entirety (each functional element is implemented by exactly
one physical chunks)
The interactions between chunks are well defined and are
generally fundamental to the primary functions of the
products.
Integrated
Functional elements of the product are implemented using
more than one chunk
A single chunk implements many functions.
The interaction between chunks are ill defined and may be
incidental to the primary functions of the products.
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Factors affecting architecture
modularity
Product changes
Product variety
Component standardization
Product performance
Manufacturability
Product development management
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Factors affecting architecture
modularity (product changes)
For modular architecture
Allows to minimize the physical changes required to achieve a
functional change
Reasons for product changes
upgrades
add-ons
adaptation (adapt to different operation environments)
wear (e.g., razors, tires, bearings)
consumption (for example, toner cartridges, battery in cameras)
flexibility in use (for users to reconfigure to exhibit different capabilities)
re-use in creating subsequent products

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Factors affecting architecture
modularity (product variety)
The range of products (models)
concurrently available in the market
Modular can vary without adding
tremendous complexity to the
manufacturing system.

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Factors affecting architecture
modularity
Component standardization
Use the same components in multiple products
Increase production volumes
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Factors affecting architecture
modularity
Product performance (for integrated design)
Allow optimizing the performance for an individual
integrated architecture.
Allow function sharing
Implementing multiple functions using a single physical
element.
Allow for redundancy to be eliminated through function
sharing and geometric nesting
Thus could lower the manufacturing cost
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Factors affecting architecture
modularity
Manufacturability
DFM can be performed on the chunk-level but
not across several chunks.
For example, minimize the total number of part
counters.
Thus, it is more applicable to an integrated
design.

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Factors affecting architecture
modularity
Product development management
Better for modular architecture
Each modular chunk is assigned to an
individual or a small group
Known and relatively limited functional
interactions with other chunks.
Not as easy for integrated architecture
Detailed designs will require close coordination
among different groups.

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Architecture Design Process
create a schematic of the product
cluster the elements of the schematic
create a rough geometric layout
identify the fundamental and incidental
interactions.
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Creating a product schematic
Create a schematic diagram
representing the (physical or functional)
elements of the product, using blocks,
arrows, and other notations.
Flow of forces or energy
Flow of material
Flow of signal or data
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Cluster the elements of the
schematic
Factors for considering clustering
Geometric integration and precision
Function sharing
Capability of vendors
Similarity of design or production technology
Localization of design (or part) change
Accommodating variety
Enabling standardization
Portability of the interfaces

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Creating a rough geometric layout
A geometric system layout in
2D or 3D drawings,
2D or 3D graphics, or
Physical models.

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Identify the fundamental and
incidental interactions
Fundamental interactions
Those which connect the building blocks, such
as energy flows, material flows, and data flows.
Incidental interactions
Those that arise because of geometric
arrangements of the building blocks, such as
thermal expansion or heat dissipation.

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Differentiation Postponement
(delayed differentiation)
The timing of differentiation in the supply
chain
Modular components vs. final assembly for each
model in the inventory.
Two principles
1. Differentiating elements must be concentrated in
one or a few chunks
2. The product and production process must be
designed so that the differentiating chunks can
be added to the product near the end of the
supply chain.
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Platform planning
Trade-off decision between
Differentiation plan
Difference in product attributes from customers
viewpoint
Commonality plan
The components which the product versions
commonly share. Therefore, their physicals are
the same across the products in the platform.
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Guidelines for managing platform
trade-off
Platform planning decision should be
informed by quantitative estimates of cost and
revenue implications.
Iteration is beneficial.
The nature of trade-off between differentiation
and commonality is not fixed.
The product architecture dictates the nature of the trade-off.
The team may consider alternative architectures to enhance
both differentiation and commonality.
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Related system-level design issues
A recursive process
Defining secondary systems
Establishing the architecture of the chunks
Creating detailed interface specifications


Trailer Example:
Modular Architecture
box
hitch
fairing
bed
springs
wheels
protect cargo
from weather
connect to
vehicle
minimize
air drag
support
cargo loads
suspend
trailer structure
transfer loads
to road
Trailer Example:
Integral Architecture
upper half
lower half
nose piece
cargo hanging
straps
spring slot
covers
wheels
protect cargo
from weather
connect to
vehicle
minimize
air drag
support
cargo loads
suspend
trailer structure
transfer loads
to road
What is this?
Nail Clippers?
Modular Product Architectures
Chunks implement one or a few functions entirely.
Interactions between chunks are well defined.
Modular architecture has advantages in simplicity
and reusability for a product family or platform.
Swiss Army Knife Sony Walkman
Platform Architecture of
the Sony Walkman
Integral Product Architectures
Functional elements are implemented by multiple
chunks, or a chunk may implement many functions.
Interactions between chunks are poorly defined.
Integral architecture generally increases performance
and reduces costs for any specific product model.
High-Performance Wheels Compact Camera
Choosing the Product Architecture
Architecture decisions relate to product
planning and concept development decisions:
Product Change (copier toner, camera lenses)
Product Variety (computers, automobiles)
Standardization (motors, bearings, fasteners)
Performance (racing bikes, fighter planes)
Manufacturing Cost (disk drives, razors)
Project Management (team capacity, skills)
System Engineering (decomposition, integration)
Ford Taurus
Integrated Control Panel
Modular or Integral Architecture?
Motorola StarTAC
Cellular Phone
Rollerblade
In-Line Skates
Ford
Explorer
Apple
iBook
The concepts of integral and modular
apply at several levels:
system
sub-system
component
Product Architecture =
Decomposition + Interactions
Interactions
within chunks
Interactions
across chunks
Establishing the Architecture
To establish a modular architecture, create a
schematic of the product, and cluster the
elements of the schematic to achieve the
types of product variety desired.
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Product Architecture Example:
Hewlett-Packard DeskJet Printer
DeskJet Printer Schematic
Flow of forces or energy
Flow of material
Flow of signals or data
Store
Output
Store
Blank
Paper
Enclose
Printer
Provide
Structural
Support
Print
Cartridge
Position
Cartridge
In X-Axis
Position
Paper
In Y-Axis
Supply
DC
Power
Pick
Paper
Control
Printer
Command
Printer
Connect
to
Host
Communicate
with
Host
Display
Status
Accept
User
Inputs
Functional
or Physical
Elements
Cluster Elements into Chunks
Store
Output
Store
Blank
Paper
Enclose
Printer
Provide
Structural
Support
Print
Cartridge
Position
Cartridge
In X-Axis
Position
Paper
In Y-Axis
Supply
DC
Power
Pick
Paper
Control
Printer
Command
Printer
Connect
to
Host
Communicate
with
Host
Display
Status
Accept
User
Inputs
Paper Tray
Print
Mechanism
Logic Board
Chassis
Enclosure
User Interface Board
Host Driver
Software
Power Cord
and Brick
Functional
or Physical
Elements
Chunks
Geometric Layout
print
mechanism
paper tray
user interface board
print
cartridge
logic
board
chassis
chassis
paper
roller
print cartridge
paper tray
enclosure
logic board
height
Incidental Interactions
Enclosure
Paper Tray
Chassis
Print
Mechanism
User Interface
Board
Logic
Board
Power Cord
and Brick
Host Driver
Software
Styling
Vibration
Thermal
Distortion
Thermal
Distortion
RF
Interference
RF
Shielding
System Team Assignment
Based on Product Architecture
From Innovation at the Speed of Information, S. Eppinger, HBR, January 2001.
Planning a Modular Product Line:
Commonality Table
Chunks
Number of
Types
Family Student SOHO
(small office, home office)
Print cartridge 2 Manet Cartridge Picasso Cartridge Picasso Cartridge
Print Mechanism 2 "Aurora" Series Narrow "Aurora" series "Aurora" series
Paper tray 2 Front-in Front-out Front-in Front-out Tall Front-in Front-out
Logic board 2 Next gen board
with parallel port
Next gen board Next gen board
Enclosure 3 Home style Youth style Soft office style
Driver software 5 Version A-PC
Version A-Mac
Version B-PC
Version B-Mac
Version C
Differentiation versus Commonality
Trade off product variety and production complexity
Product Model Lifetime
From Sanderson and Uzumeri,
The Innovation Imperative, Irwin 1997.
0 1 2 3 4 5
S u r v i v a l T i m e ( y e a r s )
1 . 0
0 . 8
0 . 6
0 . 4
0 . 2
0
F r a c t i o n
S u r v i v i n g
S o n y
A I W A
T o s h i b a
P a n a s o n i c
S o n y
1 . 9 7 y r
O t h e r s
1 . 1 8 y r
A v e r a g e L i f e
Types of Modularity
Swapping Modularity Sharing Modularity
Sectional Modularity Bus Modularity
Fabricate-to-Fit Modularity Mix Modularity
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Audio System Exercise:
Where are the Chunks?
Fundamental Decisions
Integral vs. modular architecture?
What type of modularity?
How to assign functions to chunks?
How to assign chunks to teams?
Which chunks to outsource?
Practical Concerns
Planning is essential to achieve the desired
variety and product change capability.
Coordination is difficult, particularly across
teams, companies, or great distances.
Special attention must be paid to handle
complex interactions between chunks
(system engineering methods).
Product Architecture: Conclusions
Architecture choices define the sub-systems
and modules of the product platform or family.
Architecture determines:
ease of production variety
feasibility of customer modification
system-level production costs
Key Concepts:
modular vs. integral architecture
clustering into chunks
planning product families
Other Images