Great product development sticks to key principles and needs an unbiased, critical design review (CDR).
Years ago, I worked for a subcontractor to Hewlett-Packard. Our task was to create a prototype for an in-office paperback book manufacturing machine. This machine aimed to assemble small quantities of paperback books on demand. The goal was to reduce the time needed to print and distribute a book.
One challenge was creating perpendicular edges on each booklet section. If you take five sheets of printer paper and fold them in half, the edge opposite the fold will form a V shape. The pages in the center of the fold stick out more than the others. Trim each booklet page to different sizes before attaching them. You can use staples or glue.
Not possible to remove the adverb. This setup would consume a lot of power and processing power to track everything. At first, we chose an existing processor. It had trouble with complex tasks like folding, stapling, gluing, and trimming pages. After binding the sections, we needed to glue them to a light cardboard spine and laminate the covers.
While the mechanisms were workable, we needed to simplify. Trimming each page individually produced no results. They trim mass-produced paperback books only after placing the spine and cover. We could use the same method in our machine. Instead of many trims, we could perform a single trim operation after binding. This would lead to a less smooth appearance at the edges, but it was more efficient.
The machine needs to run on 120 VAC power. It should draw no more than 20 amps. Also, there can’t be other appliances on the same circuit. This meant a dedicated circuit just for the machine. Higher amperage or voltage would need custom wiring, limiting its commercial appeal.
By simplifying the trim operation, we can avoid the need for higher power. We could also use a cost-effective microprocessor for control.
This design conflicted with a principle I value: keep it simple (KIS) and complicate only when necessary. I was curious about how the design evolved. I learned that Hewlett-Packard’s system rewarded original ideas with cash bonuses for those that made it to production. The project manager was the originator of this design concept.
At that time, Hewlett-Packard faced internal management issues, and the project was eventually scrapped. A few years later, another company successfully built a similar machine.
Norman T. Neher, P.E.
Analytical Engineering Services, Inc.
Elko New Market, MN
www.aesmn.org