Design Improvement / Cost Reduction / Production Rate Improvement

Problem

1. The battery life of this implantable device was much lower than expected.
2. The reason for this was that a component replacement resulted in a taller electrical component, which would ground to the titanium can, causing a current loss, and a reduction in battery life, and subsequently the useful therapeutic life of the device. This would have required an additional surgery to replace the device with a new device with a new battery.
3. The Request was: “Add features to prevent this grounding problem due to this new component.”

Action

1. Of course, I was able to affect the redesign needed to eliminate the short circuit.
2. But I instantly realized that I could also take some cost out of this product.
3. I approached the Company VP, and asked him, “Can I have an additional week or two, max, to do some redesign — aside from the one change requested. I am sure that I can take cost out of this product.”
4. I made these design changes –
   • a.  Changed design to isolate conductive parts.
     • Redesigned primary injection molded internal bracket to isolate the electronic components.
   • b. Opportunistic design changes, with low design time impact, making design improvements to,
     • Eliminate 2 plastic components.
     • Eliminate 3 applications of insulation, also reducing fit-up problems.
     • Eliminate the handling and assembly of these parts.
     • Eliminate 5 design failure modes.
     • Eliminate an entire page of work instructions, because assembly was so much simpler.

Result

1. Design: I easily remedied the primary complaint; with all electrical components isolated and insulated.
2. Cost Reduction: I reduced the cost of the assembly by redesigning for less-expensive, easier to assemble, higher-performing components –
   • $38K part cost savings from redesigned plastic part, using a more expensive resin while making quite a few design changes in the internal plastic parts.
   • $21K reduction in assembly labor because, while I was redesigning the interior parts, I also designed the interior parts to go together much more easily, much more simply and much faster.
3. And the resulting product was both less expensive, and of higher quality, than it had previously been.

Project Notes