Sensitivity-Based Design

It's common to try controlling a system by tightening tolerances - simple to say, but expensive to apply. And it doesn’t work especially well when it’s unclear how much tightening tolerances will improve quality.

Sensitivity-Based Design focuses on understanding the multiple relations between input variations and quality outputs of the system. Sensitivity is leverage, and Sensitivity-Based Design is positioning the fulcrum to your greatest advantage. Designing system sensitivities is more effective, more sustainable, and a cost reduction, compared to tightening tolerances.

What does Sensitivity-Based Design do for you?

• Control manufacturing risk.  Minimize scrap, rework, and fit-up problems by quantitatively understanding and controlling risk before and during production.

• Design quality in.  Guarantee performance and sustainably reduce warranty costs.

• Avoid design problems.  Understand design concept quality during the selection stage.

• Understand your drawings.  Capture functional requirements clearly and accurately. Tolerances are correlated to physical requirements.

• Quit fighting fires.  Prevent the scramble to control warranty problems. Spend your time on engineering instead of reactionary firefighting.

Our services are based on Sensitivity-Based Design. Have a look.

Successes:

• Tapered shaft joints. Created loading and fit-up analysis models and design guides.

• Serpentine belts. Belt life sensitivity to mounting strategy and design guidelines for FEAD. Our insights also helped the belt manufacturer better advise their customers.

• Bearings, seals, and gears. Root cause analyses and lifespan improvements.

• Planetary gears. Alignment analysis to find root cause of failures.

• Fit-up and assemblability. Cast, forged, machined, molded, weldments, non-metallics, sheet metal, and more.