Assessment of Systems Information

The scope of this project will focus on the manufacturing process of the cab frame of an industrial mobile hydraulic crane.  The cab frame is being defined as the outer shell of the cab that encloses the seat, controls, and operator.  This part of the crane has been chosen, since the cab can be a major selling point of the machine.

This industrial crane is heavily marketed in the United States.  Some of the other markets include Africa and Australia; however, this crane is not European Conformity, C.E., certified to be sold in Europe.  The industry uses this type of crane for work at warehouses, industrial sites, construction sites, or automotive plants.  The machine is operated mostly outdoors on improved surfaces in ambient temperature between 120°F and -20°F.  This machine has an estimated yearly production quantity of 75 units with a working lifespan of approximately ten years.  There is no special licensing required to operate the crane, and the operator is usually either the owner, employer to the owner, or renting the crane from the owner.

Whether the owner or an employee is operating the crane, the cab frame design is based on several human factors such as comfort, shelter, safety, and visibility.  The comfort factor relates to the size of the cab and ease of operating the controls.  Society of Automotive Engineers, SAE, and International Standards Organization, ISO, standards can be used as guidelines for designing comfort into the cab frame.  This is important to the owner of the crane because when their employee is comfortable, he/she will be more productive.  Shelter and safety factors are important, since the cab frame must protect both the operator and the controls from harm and the environmental elements such as rain, snow, wind, and temperature.  Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, regulates the safety compliance of the cab frame by setting the required standards for noise levels, temperature levels, and flammability regulations.  Visibility is also important, since this factor allows the operator to operate more safely.  These are all essential because a comfortable and safe operator will be more productive.

 Shown below is the use case diagram of a typical cab system.  The factors described above and throughout this profile are part of the protection use case.

Figure 1:  Use Case Diagram

During the Project Planning and Conceptual Design Stage of the IPD, the cab design requirements are developed based on the human factors listed above.  The engineer then uses these requirements to begin the initial design of the cab frame. The design of the cab frame must be carefully planned so that it can be easily manufactured and integrated into the crane’s frame.

Factors such as shortened time-to-market, limited personnel, and low volumes can influence the engineer’s choice of design and manufacturing process.  A shortened time-to-market and limited personnel gives the engineer little time to research new technologies, and limited time for preliminary training of the required departments hinders consistent results when integrating new technologies.  There is also a risk incurred when there is limited time to test the new technology.  In addition to the time and personnel constraints, low volumes of product can make some processes less cost effective.  Therefore the engineer must consider many factors when determining the design and manufacture process of the cab frame.