What are the stages of mechanical design technology development?

Design is an activity that people produce information that meets the requirements according to the predetermined goals. The forms of information are graphics, characters, data, symbols and so on. Technology is a means used by human beings to transform the world, and it is the unity of human factors (knowledge and ability) and materialized factors (tools and equipment). Design technology refers to the operating procedures, methods and skills formed in design activities, as well as the tools and equipment used. According to the characteristics of design technology, the development of mechanical design technology can be divided into five stages:

(1) intuitive design (ancient-1500). Since humans began to make tools, there have been design activities. In ancient times, design technology and manufacturing technology were embodied in the same individual craftsman (Figure 4-3). They either get inspiration from natural phenomena or design and make products with intuitive feelings gained from long-term labor.

(2) Experience design (1501-1849). When craftsmen began to use mechanical principles to form various devices, simple tools gradually developed into traditional machinery. The first industrial revolution took place in the middle of18th century, which led to the division of labor between the design and manufacture of mechanical technology. /kloc-at the beginning of the 0/9th century, mechanics became independent from mechanics. /kloc-in the late 20th century, mechanical engineering gradually became an independent discipline. Mechanics is the theoretical basis of mechanical engineering. Because mechanical manufacturing at that time had not yet formed a discipline system, mechanics could be referred to as mechanical engineering. At that time, the design technology was mainly embodied in the basic mechanism and parts studied by mechanics. Design mainly depends on the designer's personal talent and experience, which is very limited and arbitrary, as shown in Figure 4-4.

Figure 4-3 Artisans in Design

Figure 4-4 Semi-empirical Design of Early Looms (3) (1850-1949). 185 1 After the first World Expo, a large number of complex mechanical products appeared, as shown in Figure 4-5. The second industrial revolution took place in the middle of19th century, which significantly improved the design technology in theory and practice. The publication of Theoretical Kinematics in Germany shows that people's understanding of design has risen from characteristics to individuality for the first time. The drawing design method that appeared at the beginning of the 20th century greatly reduced the cost. Organization standardization began in the early 20th century, which improved the efficiency and quality of design, as shown in Figure 4-6. People study the design quality of various professional products by testing key components, which reduces the blindness of design. However, design itself has not been studied as a discipline at this stage, and design still has great experience and limitations.

Figure 4-5 Shengjia sewing machine is designed in 1870.

Fig. 4-6 semi-automatic design of Austin automobile (IV) (1950 ——1989). The remarkable characteristics of this stage are the innovation of design tools and the in-depth study of design methods. In the 1950s, scientific calculations were carried out by electronic computers, and automatic drawing by computers appeared in the 1960s. 1970, the United States introduced CAD system, 197 1 year, Japan published Design Engineering Series, 1977, and Germany published Design Science, indicating that people's understanding of design has risen from characteristics to generality. In 1980s, computers realized the automation of information processing. Designers are mainly involved in decision-making and usually need teamwork to complete the design. As shown in Figure 4-7, cars and tractors are jointly completed by designers and engineers. This stage gradually formed a mechanical design project.

Figure 4-7 Machinery designed by Lowe (5) Automation design (1990 till now). In 1990s, a computer integrated manufacturing system (CIMS) based on decision automation was formed. Decision automation is essentially the automation of knowledge processing and use. At this stage, a lot of general decisions and information processing in the design process can be completed by computers, and designers can only make key decisions. The Boeing 777 designed with virtual reality technology, as shown in Figure 4-8, is the first plane in the world without drawings and prototypes.

Figure 4-8 Manufacturing Process of Boeing 777 Aircraft