Product architecture and prototyping

• What is Product Architecture?

  • Organization of a product’s functional elements
  • Interaction of these elements or chunks
  • Influences design, manufacturing, selling, usage, and repair
  • Links to system-level design and system engineering principles
• How does Product Architecture relate to function and form?

  It is the strategy of mapping the function to form.
• Who described product architecture as the scheme for allocating function to physical components?

  Karl T. Ulrich
• Why is product architecture particularly relevant to R&D?

  Architectural decisions are made during the early phases of the innovation process.
• What are the two fundamental types of product architecture?

  • Modular
  • Integral
• What characterizes the modular type of product architecture?

  It has well-defined component interfaces that functionally self-contain modules.
• What is the purpose of organizing a product into modules in modular architecture?

  To develop and complete a specific function.
• What are the advantages of modular product architecture?

  Task allocation, outsourcing, economies of scale, reuse/standardization, maintenance, and mass customization.
• How does integral product architecture differ from modular architecture?

  Functions are shared by physical elements, leading to greater complexity in mapping components to functions.
• What is the role of product architecture in product development?

  • Affects most aspects of product design and manufacturing
  • Determines focus of team activities early in the development process
  • Drives design and impacts costs significantly
• Where can more details about product architecture be found?

  In the reference: Ulrich-Eppinger-Prod-Arch-design MIT shared with these lecture notes.
• What was covered extensively in Lecture FNE 2105_L7?

  • Prototyping
  • Refining prototype formulations
  • Parts 1 & 2 of the lecture