Preliminary Design
Building on the work in the Concept Development Phase, the Accudyne team begins to aggressively specify integral components of the equipment. This specification process includes researching component configurations and the multiple vendors that supply them. This research consists of distilling information about past experience with a product or vendor, collecting input from others who have experience with the product or vendor, comparing product literature, discussing components with vendor personnel, and/or visiting vendor facilities. Primary component selection criteria are form, fit, function, cost, and lead time. Once components have been selected, the engineers design the main skeleton or equipment framework. The CAD designers then create preliminary 3D models of the mechanical, electrical and pneumatic systems within Autodesk Inventor for further analysis. At this stage of the project, a comprehensive electronic design notebook has been well populated with everything from initial concepts to cut sheets for individual components. In a rigorous design review at the end of this stage (a.k.a. “Preliminary Design Review (PDR), the customer and Accudyne engineers review all aspects of the proposed design. Concerns are quickly and efficiently addressed in this meeting or shortly thereafter to prepare for the detailed design phase.
Detailed Design
Work begins on the Detailed Design immediately following the PDR. This phase flushes out all aspects of the design to fully specify all components in order to populate mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and/or hydraulic bills of material (BOMs). The 3D CAD models are fully populated with complete details for all fabricated and purchased parts. Electrical CAD drawings provide circuit layouts with all wires labeled and cabinet layouts dimensioned. All purchased parts are fully specified and the pertinent information from BOMs, detailed drawings, and component cut sheets are added to the electronic design notebook. The Detailed Design phase of the project is completed when the Critical (or Final) Design Review (CDR) is complete. At the end of the CDR, or shortly thereafter, the customer provides approval for manufacture of the equipment which begins with Procurement and Fabrication.