Sustainability is the topic on everyone's lips and is increasingly becoming a more central theme in both our private and professional environments. Be it Facebook postings from Fridays for Future, your own company’s sustainability report, heated TV discussions about climate change or revelations from your own family members who perhaps no longer want to fly or use coffee capsules in the future, the topic is on all our minds. Sustainability is also playing an increasingly important role in mechanical engineering. This goal can be achieved by, among other things, making sure that the machines are more durable, integrating several processing steps in one system, saving raw materials, observing the supply chain and, of course, by using more sustainable materials.
Ultimately, the product development process can not remain unaffected: the call for sustainable products is getting louder in all industries. It is sometimes, however, easier said than done. Material manufacturers, machine builders, plant manufacturers and processing industries are faced with problems that must be taken seriously. In this article we’ll pay special attention to the sustainable product development process and show challenges and solutions for the individual steps, using the roll forming process as our example.
Depending on the individual requirements of each company, the product development process is designed differently and comes with different challenges. Nevertheless, we can address some overarching aspects:
Each product development process is unique, but generally tends to follow a certain structure. As an expert in roll forming, I’ll be using roll forming technology as the example process here.
At the beginning of the product development process, it’s a matter of defining the requirements for the new profile design and developing a rough idea. Since metal sections are generally semi-finished products, the sales engineers take a look at where the section is installed in the overall assembly and whether a perforation, thread or similar can be added.
It makes perfect sense to contact your metal section expert during the “requirements” phase in order to discuss initial design proposals and possibly get new input. Imagine, for example, a multi-chamber profile that, according to the first draft, is to be welded together from two square tubes. The resulting double material thickness could easily be saved with roll forming which not only saves weight, but also simplifies subsequent process steps in further processing.
The second step is the project planning with the finished sketches, on the basis of which the design is examined by specialists. You can also create a cost overview in this phase - considering this early on in the overall product development process will help you find the most cost-efficient solutions. You can then directly submit a suitable offer.
Here, too, it’s a good time to talk with specialists you trust. With their shared years of experience dealing with similar requirements, they can quickly develop solutions that sometimes save material, weight and costs in the production of your metal section. For example, a roll forming specialist will be able to tell you straight away that steel profiles produced in larger quantities are even cheaper than aluminum profiles.
When creating the concept, the metal section is carefully examined and, if necessary, material tests are carried out. More complex profiles can be optimally simulated in the course of the feasibility check with software developed for this purpose. This 3D simulation as well as all tests and evaluations carried out serve as a reliable basis for the subsequent ordering and production process.
As a rule, a processing company is always at the cutting edge of technology with special methods, sometimes even defining the state of the art: with thickness optimization or the smallest radii for roll profiles, for example. Additionally, with regard to the products of their own sales partners, they should know about, e.g.: particularly wear-resistant or ultra-high-strength materials from local and, if required, global steel suppliers from all over the world.
Product developers like to have prototypes of metal sections that are required in mechanical or plant engineering produced manually at a machine shop, or with the help of a 3D printer. In the case of profiles, for example, a plastic model can easily be 3D printed to test whether it corresponds in appearance, shape, tolerance or function. At the customer's request, it is possible to produce a pilot series on the system, but this extra step is associated with extra costs - at least with roll forming, since only the original tools are used.
Simulations and prototypes of complex metal sections should always be discussed and thought through in a team, because different specialists combine a high degree of background knowledge and several perspectives. For example: new materials keep coming onto the market, but maybe only a few specialists will know about them, and many have not yet been tested.
The optimization step is a kind of extra fail-safe step only used when necessary. Roll-formed custom profiles, for example, can already be optimally prepared and designed for production with the help of simulations, so that subsequent optimization is no longer absolutely necessary. Nevertheless, it can often happen that something needs a last minute adjustment to perfect it.
Depending on the manufacturing method, this process step can be more or less flexible. If, for example, all tools are manufactured in-house for roll forming, it’s still possible to react quickly to last minute design changes, sometimes even on the system.
In ISO-certified companies (ISO 9001 or IATF 16949), the regulatory documentation in the product development process is clearly controlled and standardized. This includes, for example, machine data sheets where all process parameters are described and documented so that they can also be used for subsequent productions.
The topic of sustainability has reached almost all industries and departments. Sustainable product development along the entire value chain presents those responsible in mechanical engineering with diverse challenges such as time to market, reduction of weight and raw materials as well as digital and technological innovations. Since the best solutions are mostly found in a team and in exchange with experts, it’s worth getting your partners on board at an early stage. This way, you’ll be able to best exploit potential optimization options for materials, costs and processes.