Design, Manufacture and Project Management
Design is a structured, user-centred process. Candidates should know design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA), design for sustainability, and human-centred design. Manufacturing concepts: tolerances and fits (clearance, interference, transition), processes (machining, casting, forming, additive, joining), and quality control (SPC, inspection).
Project management covers scope, schedule, cost, and risk. Know Gantt charts (timeline), critical path method (CPM) (longest path determines minimum project duration), work breakdown structure (WBS), and risk registers. Understand lean principles: reduce waste, just-in-time, continuous improvement (kaizen).
Traps
Critical path is the longest path, not the shortest; float/slack is the spare time on non-critical tasks. Confusing tolerance (permissible variation) with clearance (gap between mating parts). Assuming additive manufacturing is always cheaper - it suits complex, low-volume parts. Ignoring lifecycle costs in sustainability analysis.
Worked rule of thumb
CPM example: tasks A(3 d) → B(4 d) → D(2 d) gives 9 days; A → C(6 d) → D gives 11 days. Critical path is A–C–D (11 days); B has 2 days float. Any delay on the critical path delays the whole project.