Control of dimensional variation and integrated product development

Manufacturing competitiveness has been shown to be directly linked to the capacity to market new products. New techniques, referred to collectively as design for dimensional control (DDC), are reducing the dimensional variation of manufactured products, producing better quality products and cutting the time to market. As an introduction to the IEE colloquium on the control of dimensional variation this paper provides a brief overview of the contribution DDC can make to increasing development performance and hence manufacturing competitiveness. This paper aims to first show the link between competitiveness and product development, next, to describe the objectives of a typical automotive/aerospace application of DDC, and finally, to conclude by explaining the role DDC plays in an integrated product development process