MUPIC COURSE

Part 1

“Introduction to the Engineering Design Process”

This module provides an overview for the multidisciplinary engineering design process as a sequence of fundamental stages with a Problem-Solving Model as a general integrating “common denominator”:

• identification of the customer’s needs and other evoked life cycle constraints

• establishing functional specifications and other product properties,

• generating a conceptual product design, 

• performing the product design – an iterative procedure carried out in accordance to quality and competitive principles (plan, do, check, act) to reach a detail design where parts have been properly defined and embodied in a system, with manufacturing, assembly, cost, environmental and other relevant constraints that ought to be taken into account over the whole life cycle.

• continuous evaluating suitability of the (predicted) product functions and other properties comparing to the specified requirements and competitive products

This module defines the expectations for each of the 3 checkpoints of the project and the final presentation of the results.

It is expected to be presented in front of students during the kick-off week.

Part 2

“From customer’s needs to specifications”

A first milestone in the engineering design process is to translate the customer’s needs and other constraints over the life cycle into functional and other properties specifications declared by objective and solution-neutral measurable indicators. This step is fundamental to clarify the functions and other expectations and functions that have to be satisfied. 

This part 2 will include an activity to be performed during the kick-off week.

Part 3

“State-of-the-art and evaluation of technical solutions”

When functional and other property requirements are defined, conceptual product designs must be generated and must be compared to possibly existing solutions, through patents search and market investigation.

Again, objective performance factors must be defined to have a basis for evaluation of each alternative in order to rank them. 

The module provides some links to find information and some evaluation tools for product evaluation.

Part 4

“Creativity in Engineering Design”

Engineering Design activity is by nature innovative. But designers could forget it! It is then useful to include some creativity methods to foster innovative development. During the engineering design process, some “creativity breaks”, driven by disruptive questions, inevitably enrich the intellectual work of design which cannot be reduced to a sequence of conceptual and dimensioning procedures.