Improving system performance through an integrated design approach

Product designers typically use existing concept solutions in their day-to-day business and development generally takes place via incremental improvements leaving little room for innovation. This study aims to improve system performance by an integrated design approach. The approach encompasses three phases: technology assimilation, technology insertion and technology integration, following a sequence of modular, top-down and bottom-up design strategies. The goal is to find opportunities to integrate structure and functionality early in the conceptual stage to increase production efficiency and reduce cost. This paper describes the integrated design approach; also, practical results are presented where the developed approach was successfully applied.