11 things to consider when designing products with moving mechanics.

Designing products with moving mechanics is a multidisciplinary task. It requires knowledge of basic mechanics, lubrication, mechanisms, kinematics, dynamics and much more. We believe solving complex problems requires structure. In this guide we will elaborate on 11 takeaways that can help you design great moving mechanics in you next product:

1. Characteristic of the motion.

Do you already know if it is linear movement or rotational movement your need? Maybe it is a more complex movement that you are looking for. Help yourself by defining the characteristics of the system. Are you looking for steady motion or sequential motion?

2. Which mechanisms?

There are 100’s, if not 1000’s, of already proven mechanisms to choose among. There is no need to invent the deep plate once again. Searching the internet, you can find a lot of inspiration for different mechanisms. On YouTube you can even find videos that explains how different mechanisms work and their pros and cons. You can be curious about how everyday products work and functions, for example what is the basic mechanism in a pallet lifter or a how does a car window go up and down?

3. Inspiration from industries.

Sometimes there might be a solution already used in the industry. Could you improve or optimize an already existing solution?

You might ask yourself if the problem you are solving have been solved before in a different industry. Is there a popular solution in another industry you could get inspiration from? Again here the internet is you friend. Get inspired from other industries.

4. What are the requirements?

Does it have to be light and fast, heavy and slow, or somewhere in between? What environment is it going to be in? What is your target price? How many will you manufacture a year? These are all crucial questions that can help you identify the right requirements for your solution. Good and well-defined requirements is the foundation for a good design.

5. Is there a plug-n-play solution?

Is there already someone that have designed and manufactured the parts you need for the moving mechanism? Maybe you don’t want to make your own bearings? Are you constrained on time then maybe a plug-n-play / off-the-shelf product is the right choice for your solution. Do you have a budget if you just need a solution fast?

6. How many wear parts are you going to have?

You might have chosen a complex mechanism for some reason. Have you thought about how many wear-parts you have in the solution? Have you thought about maintenance?

7. Ask a colleague.

It can sometimes be helpful to ask a colleague for inspiration. Maybe they have some experiences and can share their thoughts on what they think could work. Also they might have seen solutions that do not work.

Do not be afraid to ask colleagues you are maybe not that close to. Sometimes we think we should know everything as engineers and don’t want to look stupid in front of other departments. Truth is great engineers are not afraid to ask questions even if it might make you look stupid. Asking people from sales, service or the shopfloor can sometimes give you some valuable information/insights, that you would not have gained by asking an engineer.

8. How and what kind of maintenance?

Should the customer be able to re-apply grease occasionally? Will it require a service technician? Should it be “maintenance free”? Is it normal you have service agreements with customers? Even though some plastic bearings and sliding elements offer a “maintenance free” solution, “maintenance free” is not always 100% free of maintenance. Have you thought about how long product lifetime should be?

9. Do you already have other parts from existing products you could use?

Reusing is a great way to think about designs. If you can reuse parts from another product/assembly, you don’t have to design a whole new part, and most importantly you can produce more of the same part. There are many advantages to reusing the same part in different products and assemblies.

10. What kind of load is applied to the mechanism?

Wil there be any dynamic forces acting on the mechanism? Will there be any static forces? If you have high static forces in your design, plastic sliding elements are maybe not the best choice. Will there be any vibrations? Could you build a vibration damper into your design?

11. Actuation.

Is there going to be some kind of actuator driving the mechanism? Is it going to be an electric motor? What sizes are available? Do you need a speed reducer for the motor?

To create a good design, it is crucial you ask yourself many questions and gather information. Above are 11 takeaways to help you create the structure to ask the right questions. But there might be even more questions that could be relevant to you.