Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on applications of supportive technologies for design and product development.

Your assignment is to prepare and submit a paper on applications of supportive technologies for design and product development. New designs in the manufacturing industry normally come with a number of unexpected problems and in this case, a prototype has often used a component of the process of product design in order to allow the engineers and manufacturers to explore design alternatives and also test the performance and hence improve the design and workability of the design. The technology of rapid prototyping makes use of a number of computer controls, engineering, and software techniques such as 3D CAD models and in this way, proper models can be produced (Friedrich, 2001).

Normally, the phase of conceptual design commences once an analysis of the needs of the customer which actually dictates the aesthetic and technical features of the product. In this phase, we try to define the actual needs that are connected to the type of product which intends to design and also the needs of the customer. From the analysis of the needs of the customers, we can easily identify the target of the project and also the methodology to be followed in order to achieve these targets. This must be done while at the same time giving priority to the critical issues of the model (Friedrich, 2001). In conceptual design, some very important tools are used including quantity function development (QFD) which gives a connection between needs and the corresponding measuring value. Another tool used in this phase is the concept screening and storing arrays which support the generation of concepts and determination of final phases. The selection of the concepts is normally based on an identified criterion (Chua and Leong, 2003).

This phase starts after the conceptual has been completed. In this phase, a number of activities are involved including finalization of the architecture of the product, quantification of the important parameters of design and the determination of the form, and the shape of various parts that will satisfy the desired functions (Jerome, 2004).