8 Disciplines of problem solving(8D)

Today we are going to learn about 8D and what does it mean!

8 steps to take to solve difficult, recurring, or critical problems (often customer failures or major cost drivers).

The structured approach provides transparency, drives a team approach, and increases the chance of solving the problem.

• D1: Create a Team: Gather a cross-functional team of about 5 people with product/process knowledge, and have them gather information and data related to the problem or symptom
• D2: Describe the Problem: Use the data and information to quantify and clarify the problem into a statement. Ask the 5W2H’s (who, what, where, when, why, how, and how many) for the problem.
• D3: Develop Containment Plan: Define and implement interim containment actions to isolate the problem from any customer in the future.
• D4: Determine and Verify Root Causes: Identify and verify all applicable causes and sources of variation that explain why the problem has occurred (special vs . common cause).
• D5: Verify Permanent Solutions: Collect data to confirm that the possible solutions will actually resolve the problem. Perform on a small-scale or “pilot” project first.
• D6: Define and Implement Corrective Actions: Discuss and review results, and develop a plan to implement the best solutions or countermeasures.
• D7: Prevention: Modify the management systems, operation systems, procedures, and practices to prevent recurrence of this and similar problems.
• D8: Congratulate the team: Formally thank team members for their involvement. Use approaches that appeal to each individual member, as not everyone wants to be rewarded the same way.

The following improvement tools are often used within the 8D methodology:

• Ishikawa diagrams (Cause and Effect diagrams, C&E diagrams or Fishbone diagrams)
• Pareto charts or Pareto diagrams
• 5 Why’s
• 5W and 2H (Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, How often)
• Statistical Process Control (SPC)
• Scatter plots or scatter diagrams
• Design of Experiments (DOE)
• Check sheets
• Histograms or Capability Analysis
• Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
• Flowcharts or Process Maps

Learn more about 8D:

• 8D on Wikipedia

COVID-19 Tips to follow before travelling to other States/ Districts

                 During lock down, one may have to move to another city or state. In such a situation, the biggest challenge is how to go? Where can I get a permit? How much time will it take? Will requesting the police not work? 

The only way to answer all such questions is e-permit. There is no problem in taking it. The best thing is that it is very easy to take this pass. Let us show you the way

Apply for a pass in GOV Websites

If you want to go from one state to another, then its method is very easy. You have to apply online on the official website. For this, you have to go to government of India Service Online website and apply for e-permit here.

Who can get a permit

Permission is not available for everyone to travel from one state or city to another. Currently government is giving permits only to students, essential services providers, tourists, pilgrims, emergency / medical travel and those who attend the wedding.

Before applying pass keep necessary documents 

Applicant can apply for one or more people. Before submitting the online form, scan and keep all the required documents. In this, you have to provide your Aadhaar card details, vehicle number, driver details. For the reason that you are applying for a permit, scan the same. 

For example, if you are traveling for medical reasons, then you will have to submit a medical certificate. If you are going to a wedding, then if you have a wedding card or students, then you have to upload your Aadhaar card.

Security personnel can ask for an e-permit during travel

As soon as you get an e-permit, you will get information about it on the website. When the pass is issued, the name, address, validity and QR code of the applicant remains on it. Permits can be downloaded to your mobile.

 

Do not forget to take necessary things and wear mask before your travel.
Security personnel can ask for this permit during travel. Share this useful information with your friends and family members.
Note: We request you also to keep track of any news/ updates from the Government of India and the respective State Governments, in this regard.

Plastic design-Injection moulding basics

Topic #1- Thickness

Overview:  One of the most basic design principles for plastic parts is the wall thickness. When determining the size and shape of a part, the designer must weigh the design needs with manufacturing needs in order to create an economical plastic part that can be easily produced.

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	Uniform Walls
	The ideal plastic part from a manufacturing viewpoint would be disk like a poker chip with a gate in the center of the part. The disk has uniform thickness and the same distance from the gate to the outer edge of the part in every direction. The cavity fills with material evenly at the same rate, and the part solidifies at the same rate. Complex parts should also have a uniform wall thickness, as much as is possible, in order to achieve the same effect. When the thickness of a part changes, it creates problems due to the ability of the material to flow and cool at the same rate throughout the part.
	For example, the cross section of the part in this figure does not have uniform thickness. Each end of the part is significantly thicker than the middle of the part. The material in the thick areas takes longer to cool, increasing shrinkage. This can cause the entire part to warp. In addition to warping, the increased shrinkage can cause other problems like voids, sink marks, and molded-in stress.  A void is the absence of material inside the part. They can cause serious structural problems with your part. A sink mark is the absence of material on the surface of the part. While they may not always affect the structure of the part, they can be a problem aesthetically. Sometimes they can be acceptable if considered during the design process. When a thick area is unavoidable you can disguise or even eliminate sink marks by adding additional features. Molded-in stress can occur in sharp inside corners, and can definitely lead to structural failure of the part. All of these problems can be minimized or eliminated by sticking to a uniform wall thickness rule.

Typical Wall Thickness

Considering the material used for a plastic part, thick-walled parts are expensive. More material is required to fill the part. The part subsequently takes longer to cool, increasing the cycle time. With a longer cycle time, fewer parts can be manufactured each day. At the same time, if the part is too thin the material may not completely fill the part before solidifying. A minimum thickness is also necessary to ensure it can be ejected from the cavity without deforming. Most parts are designed in the range of .75 to 5 millimeters (.03 to .20 inches) in thickness. While there is no ideal thickness, the most common is about 2.25 to 3 millimeters (.09 to .12 inches). This is a good rule of thumb to use regardless of the material used. The typical thickness can vary depending on the material. The following table notes the suggested thickness range for a number of common materials.   However, the numbers in the table are only suggestions. They are by no means limits. While it is safest to design parts in these proposed ranges, the ranges can be violated if absolutely necessary. The stipulation is that more difficult manufacturing can be involved. A thickness lower than the suggested minimum can require high injection pressure while one greater than the maximum can have longer cooler cycles. In cases like these, it is best to work with the tool designer to resolve any specific requirements.

	Strength
	In cases where a lot of strength is required, you should find alternatives to using thick walls in your design. Later in the course, you learn how to utilize other features such as ribs in order to provide strength without thickening the part unnecessarily.

Wall Thickness Transitions

There will be occasions where an absolute uniform wall thickness is simply not possible. In cases where the thickness must change, there is a rule of thumb to follow: Do not abruptly change the thickness. Doing so causes warpage and stress as pointed out earlier.  The transition should occur over a distance of at least three times the change in thickness. To ensure good flow of material, it is best to use a radius for a smooth transition.

There are ways to Earn Income during COVID-19 even after that!!!

1. Write. If you have writing skills, consider starting your own blog. You can monetize your blog with advertisements or affiliate links. Alternatively, you can pick up gigs as a freelance content or marketing writer. Check out sites like Upwork to find remote writing jobs across multiple topics. If you've got top-notch copy editing and proofreading skills, check out editorr as an option to monetize your skills.

2. Become a virtual assistant. Prefer to work from home? There is a huge need for virtual assistants, and as long as you have basic communication and organization skills, the field is highly accessible with a low barrier of entry. Check out sites like Upwork, FlexJobs, VirtualAssistants.com or browse remote job boards. Expect tasks like data entry, transcription, calling, caption writing and general administrative work.

Tips to get started today:
Learn about what a virtual assistant does and how to become one.

3. Work in social media. Social media platforms, Instagram especially, are hugely popular among brands looking to market their goods and services. Accordingly, there is money to be made here, in a couple of different ways. First, you could try your luck as a social media influencer, building up your page to get followers. Once you hit 1,000 to 2,000 followers, you may start hearing from brands who want to pay you (or offer you free products) to post about them. Or, you could get started as a social media marketer, reaching out to local businesses and offering to take over their social media accounts, post on their behalf and ramp up their followers and number of likes.

4. Become a tutor. You can work as a tutor for elementary, middle or high-schoolers, or tutor adults who are looking to learn English or basic computer skills, for example. There are multiple platforms offering online tutoring jobs and freelance tutoring gigs, like Wyzant, for example. Some tutors have even had success independently hosting tutoring sessions over Skype and Google Hangouts.

Tips to get started today:
Check out what companies and clients are looking for in a tutor.

5. Work as a coach or consultant. If you prefer to share your expertise interactively, either one-on-one or with small groups, consider becoming a coach or consultant. Clarity.fm is a great place to get started if you have business or technical knowledge to share. However, try to think outside the box! If you can make yourself a website or even a Facebook page, you can market and sell your expertise — whether it’s anything from interior design to managing kids’ schedules to vacation planning. You’d be surprised what people will pay for.

Tips to get started today:
Read up on how to become a consultant.

6. Get started as a graphic designer. If you’re computer-savvy and creatively inclined, graphic design is a great side hustle. Not sure how to get started? Check out 99Designs, where you can participate in design contests and get paid if your creation gets selected. Even if you don’t win, you’ll come away with images to add to your portfolio. Plus, sites like Canva make it possible to create beautiful images without investing in expensive design software.

Tips to get started today:
Brush up on the skills you need to succeed as a graphic designer.

7. Work as a customer service representative. Although you’ll need strong communication skills and an empathetic and patient attitude, customer service jobs are increasingly available on a freelance, remote, and part-time basis through remote work sites or by applying directly to companies that hire remote staff.

8. Become a seller. Although selling on eBay is an art form, you can start by seeing what you can sell around your house. Start with your closet and consider an app like Poshmark, where you can make hundreds of dollars a month selling clothing, shoes, and accessories that you no longer wear.

9. Take care of pets. Apps and websites like Rover, Wag, and DogVacay make it easier than ever to score dog walking and pet sitting gigs. You can also go the old-school route and post flyers at your local cafe, vet’s office or pet store.

If you have a dog-friendly yard or land, you can also earn money by being a Sniffspot Host.

10. Become an administrative assistant. Small businesses are often in need of help, whether it’s on a temporary, one-time or ongoing basis. Approach local establishments in your neighborhood — even better if they’re companies you already have a relationship with — and offer your services helping organize paperwork, entering data, answering phones or assisting with any other administrative tasks they may need help with. You can start by sending an email or phone call, but you will make the best impression by stopping by in person, dressed to impress with a resume in hand.

11. Work as a user tester. User testing allows web designers and developers to get feedback on their work. Sites like UserTesting.com employ remote testers who can earn up to $10 per test. You can also search for local “user testing,” “user research” or “panel” gigs in your city. The “Gigs” section on Craigslist is a great place to find local opportunities. You may also see opportunities to participate in medical or psychological research, though these tend to be more difficult to get as each study is likely to have very specific participant parameters.

12. Sell to stock photography sites. Have a knack with a camera? You can sell your photography to sites like Shutterstock, iStock or Getty Images and get continuous income from the images they pick up. If you’re not so much a photographer yourself but have some photography or artistic experience, you could also apply to be an image reviewer, where you can work from home and review images that are submitted by photographers.

13. Teach a course. If you have expertise, sell it! Sites like Udemy.com allow you to leverage your personal and professional knowledge by creating and monetizing online courses and workshops.

14. Work as a production assistant. If you live in a city with a high volume of television and film work (think New York City or Los Angeles), search online or ask around for freelance or part-time production assistant gigs. Although the work isn’t always consistent and the days can be long, you can expect to make anywhere from $100 — $200 per day.

15. Take on microjobs. A microjob is a quick and usually one-time gig. Check out Fiverr where you can sell anything from blog posts, to illustrations, to audio transcriptions and more. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk platform also provides multiple opportunities where you can complete quick, repetitive tasks for a smaller amount of money. If you’re looking to work offline, TaskRabbit will connect you to various gigs in your area. You can also make money participating in online focus groups which don't require a big investment of your time.

Innovative Business Ideas DuringThe COVID-19 Pandemic

Lot of business owners are scrambling to reinvent their businesses. Many have already found innovative ways to roll with the punches — from rethinking supply chains, redeploying staff, offering crucial advice, and even recreating your favorite bar online.

1. Education/Work

Consumers have tested the efficacy of learaning online during the lockdown and this should continue even post lockdown. Online education should see a huge boost. This holds true both for curricular courses like UPSC, IIT-JEE, CAT, CBSE XII, etc preparation but also for extra-curricular courses like Guitar, Painting, etc.

Unfortunately, a side effect of the economic shutdown would be layoffs. Many skills that made people employable might not be as valuable. For example — there is a case to be made that we perhaps would not need as many retail salesmen or waiters for a long time. People would need to reskill and upskill themselves to find new jobs and a shift in job pattern would happen. Maybe the demand for healthcare workers would increase, and so people need to be skilled for those roles. These might lead to more usage of upskilling platforms for grey/blue-collar jobs.

Lots of schools have come online because you cannot conduct offline classes. Large tech companies have high-quality products for schools. So I am not sure if there is a greenfield opportunity here, but maybe I am wrong. A lot of teachers are using technology to this extent for the first time. Once schools restart, will a lot of class interactions and communication remain online? How do you create online classes that match the offline class experience?

We are already seeing a surge in remote work tools, and Zoom saw a massive increase in adoption in businesses across the world. Needless to say, once people start working from home more, the difference between a remote worker and at-office worker would not be very high. For industries where it’s doable, we should shift to remote work. What new hiring, onboarding, payroll and management tools can be created for remote workers?

A lot of work conferences will move online. After having attended so many conferences over the past year, I think online conferences can be a 10x improvement from offline conferences.

2. Retail

The most impacted offline sectors in the market are Supermarkets, Restaurants and Traditional Retail. For each of these spaces, we could see new opportunities because, for the first time in many years, we will have assets that are unutilised and partners willing to work with tech companies. Many small and large enterprises have been deeply impacted, and new companies could be created to serve these companies or customers of these companies better.
Grocery delivery has seen a big peak in demand during lockdown already, and it should continue because many people would prefer not to go out to supermarkets to buy because of fear and in search of convenience. Kirana stores will be digitised further.
For restaurants, we should see innovative cloud kitchen models, or enabling restaurants to be more scalable by working with virtual kitchens. Restaurants are badly hurt and would continue to be bleeding for some time. We are already seeing their eagerness to come to all delivery platforms to ensure they have as much visibility as possible but this would not be enough. 

3. Health

The most impacted offline sectors in the market are Supermarkets, Restaurants and Traditional Retail. For each of these spaces, we could see new opportunities because, for the first time in many years, we will have assets that are unutilised and partners willing to work with tech companies. Many small and large enterprises have been deeply impacted, and new companies could be created to serve these companies or customers of these companies better.

Grocery delivery has seen a big peak in demand during lockdown already, and it should continue because many people would prefer not to go out to supermarkets to buy because of fear and in search of convenience. Kirana stores will be digitised further.

For restaurants, we should see innovative cloud kitchen models, or enabling restaurants to be more scalable by working with virtual kitchens. Restaurants are badly hurt and would continue to be bleeding for some time. We are already seeing their eagerness to come to all delivery platforms to ensure they have as much visibility as possible but this would not be enough.

Like movie theatres, gyms will be shut for a long time too. There has been a surge in online fitness classes and meditation & therapy apps. Again, how do you make these experiences more social and engaging?

In fact, counter-intuitively, even clinics and hospital revenue and utilisation have reduced significantly because elective healthcare has been postponed and people are afraid going to a clinic/hospital where there could be a high chance of viral infection. People would prefer online doctor consultation over going to the clinic/hospital. Accordingly, we should see a boost in teleconsultation and telemedicine.

One effect of any stressful experience is that insurance penetration increases because people start visualising the 5-sigma events more clearly then. In the mid and long term, I would expect health insurance products to gain more traction.

4. Entertainment / Social

We should see tailwinds and opportunities in Online Entertainment (OTTs). Consumers would not be going to cinema halls and concerts for some time. They have more time to watch videos, movies and TV shows at home. I am told the engagement time of a lot of OTTs are up 20–50% in India during the lockdown.

Will movies start getting launched on aggregators like Netflix and Hotstar? But movie producers do not get to keep the upside of the product then. Would we see movies being published on platforms like YouTube? Will new platforms and licensing models emerge? How would shared movie watching experience be replicated online? Would something like Netflix Party be an important feature of the platform, or be the hook to create a platform independently. Worth building on top of the theme.

Online gaming is getting a big boost as well. As kids can no longer play outside, a lot of the physical playtime is shifting to virtual playtime. Usage on some gaming apps has surged 40% during the lockdown. I am more bullish on “participatory” or “social” games because they are always new and fresh compared to static games. This might be the demonetization moment for the Gaming industry in India.

DFA-Design-For-Assembly_ Plastic to plastic parts assembly

              Design for assembly (DFA) is a big subject, and it’s easy to get lost in all the assembly options out there.  In general, though, DFA is the process of designing parts or products with ease of assembly in mind.  This can mean reducing part count or designing specific assembly features into parts, all with the goal of keeping assembly time and costs as low as possible.  But here’s a little side note on DFA before we dive into a few cost-effective assembly techniques:

In my mind, good design for assembly must strike a balance between cost reduction and product aesthetic appeal.  Many engineers focus so hard on reducing assembly costs that they sacrifice the aesthetic appeal of the product to a point where it could impact sales numbers.  On the other hand, designers can get so carried away trying to make a product 100% aesthetically perfect that they are unable to share their design with the world because it is too costly to manufacture.  In many cases, getting to 90% from an aesthetic standpoint and reserving that last 10% for DFA can make the difference between a product that launches and one that fizzles out.

Okay, I’ve said my piece.  Now let’s run through a brief overview of a few mechanical assembly techniques for plastic parts.  I’ll also highlight some basic engineering design best practices and aesthetic tips for each.

Cantilever Snap-Fits 

Snap-fits are a cost-effective addition to a design that makes assembly, literally, a snap. If appropriate for your design, consider designing in some form of snap-fit which will allow you to simply snap components together by hand.  There are several different types of snap-fits, but in this article, we’ll just discuss Cantilever Snap-fits.  As the name suggests, this type of snap-fit incorporates a flexible cantilevered lug on one component and a ledge or undercut on the other component for the lug to snap to, as shown in the image below.

Engineering Design Best Practices for Cantilever Snap-fits:

• If you can, consider designing the snap-fits in a way that avoids requiring slides (aka side action) in the plastic injection mold to help keep mold costs down.
• To maintain constant stress distribution over the length of the lug, make the lug slightly tapered as shown in the formula image below.
• Follow the basic formula shown below when designing the lug, where t is the starting thickness of the lug, l is the length of the lug, and h is the amount of interference of overlap. An easy way to back into the appropriate numbers is to make t equal to or slightly lesser than the wall thickness of your part.  Then decide on how much overlap (h) you’d like and run these numbers through the formula to determine the length l.

• Using the formula, experiment with these numbers, keeping in mind that the more you increase the overlap (h) the more the cantilever lug must bend during assembly, to come to a length l that works for your design,
• Consider discussing your design with a materials expert to make sure your cantilever design will work well with the materials you’d like to use for your production parts.

Cantilever Snap-Fit Aesthetic Tips:

• Snap fits that pass all the way through a part can have a big impact aesthetically but it is possible to design them so the mating ledge portion is an undercut in a component as shown in this image below. However, incorporating undercuts like this into a part can dramatically increase tooling costs.

• Snap-Fits allow for assembly of dissimilar materials which is something not easily done with other assembly techniques like chemical bonding or sonic welding. This can add interesting aesthetic, tactile, and engineering properties to a design.

Mechanical Fasteners, aka Mounting Bosses

Mechanical fasteners, sometimes called mounting bosses, are features that are built-in to plastic components that allow you to use off-the-shelf thread forming or thread cutting screws to assemble the components together.  A thread forming screw just deform the material, forming threads in the process.  On the other hand, thread cutting screws physically remove the material.  Mounting bosses have a head side (typically a recessed area where the head of the screw lies) on one component and the thread side on another component, as shown in the image below.   Just as with snap-fits, mounting bosses allow you to join dissimilar materials if that’s something desired or required for your design.

Engineering Design Best Practices for Mounting Bosses:

• Get to know the physical properties of your material, particularly the material’s modulus of elasticity. This sounds tough to determine but really a simple google search for a material’s modulus of elasticity till provide the answer.  Determining whether to use a thread-forming screw or a thread cutting screw depends on this modulus value.  In general, if your materials modulus of elasticity is below 1500 MPa use a thread forming screw.  If the modulus of elasticity is above 1500 MPa use a thread cutting screw.
• To determine the dimensions of your mounting bosses, first determine what size screw works best for your design both aesthetically and functionally, then use these formulas to design the thread portion:
  • The hole diameter of the thread portion of the boss should equal the pitch diameter of your chosen screw. A screws pitch diameter lies in between its major diameter and minor diameter, as shown here:

• The outside diameter of the thread portion of the boss should be about 2.5 times the outside diameter (major diameter) of your chosen screw

• For added support on the head end of the boss and to help the threaded portion of the boss resist cracking, add thin support ribs as shown here:

Mounting Boss Aesthetic Tips:

• Mounting bosses can have a less intrusive effect on the aesthetics of your part as all you’ll see is the reveal of a screw head.
• Treat the screw head as a unique aesthetic feature rather than looking at it as a mechanical feature that is just plopped into the design. Be intentional about placement of the bosses to create either an equally spaced or uniquely shaped pattern; or going with a screw with a unique finish (like black oxide or brass/bronze) can give your design a more refined look.

A Note on Lips & Grooves

Typically, these types of mechanical assembly designs are used in conjunction with a lip & groove design which keep the mating parts perfectly aligned with each other. This is a very simple system to add to mating parts and it consists of a lip on one component and a corresponding groove on the other component.

Engineering Design Best Practices for Lip & Groove:

• Ensure proper draft angles and gaps are designed into the lip and groove system to make sure the two parts don’t interfere with each other

Lip & Groove Aesthetic Tips:

• Just make sure the bottom faces where the lip and groove meet have some gap dLip & Groove Aesthetic Tips:esigned into them so they don’t bottom out before the outer edges of the parts. This ensures you don’t end up with a larger gap between the mating parts after assembly.

 

Conclusion

There we have a brief overview of just a fraction of the assembly options available to product developer.  One of the biggest benefits of the mechanical assembly techniques discussed in this article is they give inventors and start-ups the ability to assemble parts on their own, which comes in handy when just starting production and money is tight.  So, if it’s appropriate for your design, I recommend employing one or more of these techniques to help keep your product assembly costs down.

Here are links to a few resources for you to check out to further your study on these and similar assembly techniques:

http://www8.basf.us//PLASTICSWEB/displayanyfile?id=0901a5e1801499d2

http://web.mit.edu/2.75/resources/random/Snap-Fit%20Design%20Manual.pdf

http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/S62.12/people/vernelle.noel/Plastic_Snap_fit_design.pdf