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Cover of RDA 111 Product Design and Development

RDA 111

Product Design and Development

From Idea to Prototype with Fusion 360 and the Workshop

Every robot, drone, phone holder, irrigation controller and machine part began as an idea that someone turned into drawings, chose materials for, made with tools and machines, tested, and improved until it worked for the people who would use it. This book teaches that whole journey: the methods engineers use to understand a need and decide what to build, the drawings and computer models that describe a product exactly, the materials that make it strong, light, durable and affordable, and the machines (3D printers, CNC routers and mills, laser cutters and hand tools) that make it real.

19 chapters in 5 parts, 329 pages. Editor-in-Chief: Olusola Sayeed Ayoola. Published by RAIN, Ibadan, 2026.

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Contents

Open a chapter to see its sections. Each chapter ends with a QR code for its free assessment.

1Engineering Design and Product Development

1.1 Products and the product development process
1.2 Design thinking
1.3 Customer needs and specifications
1.4 Concept generation
1.5 Concept selection
1.6 Case study

Take the Chapter 1 assessment

2AI and Robotics in Products

2.1 Sense, think, act
2.2 AI tools for designers
2.3 Product architecture
2.4 Case studies

Take the Chapter 2 assessment

3Engineering Drawing Fundamentals

3.1 Orthographic projection
3.2 Isometric projection and sketching
3.3 Sections, dimensions and annotation
3.4 Tolerances and fits
3.5 Tolerance stack-ups
3.6 Case studies

Take the Chapter 3 assessment

4Fusion 360 Basics

4.1 The interface
4.2 Parametric design
4.3 Sketches and constraints
4.4 Features: extrude, revolve, sweep and loft
4.5 Scripting Fusion 360
4.6 Case studies

Take the Chapter 4 assessment

5Solid and Surface Modelling

5.1 Fillets, chamfers, shells and patterns
5.2 Curves and surfaces
5.3 Sheet metal
5.4 Case studies

Take the Chapter 5 assessment

6Assemblies and Motion

6.1 Components and joints
6.2 Mobility of mechanisms
6.3 Motion studies and interference
6.4 Design for assembly
6.5 Worked example: a two-link robot arm
6.6 Case studies

Take the Chapter 6 assessment

7Drawings, Rendering and Simulation

7.1 Manufacturing drawings
7.2 Rendering
7.3 Stress, strain and factor of safety
7.4 The finite element method
7.5 Case studies

Take the Chapter 7 assessment

8Engineering Materials

8.1 Mechanical properties
8.2 Hooke's law in practice
8.3 Metals
8.4 Wood, plywood and MDF
8.5 Density and strength-to-weight
8.6 Case studies

Take the Chapter 8 assessment

9Plastics, Foams and Composites

9.1 Polymers
9.2 Plastics for 3D printing
9.3 Sheet plastics
9.4 Foams
9.5 Composites
9.6 Recycling and environmental impact
9.7 Case studies

Take the Chapter 9 assessment

10Choosing Materials for the Conditions a Robot Faces

10.1 Heat and direct sun
10.2 Water, humidity and dust
10.3 Corrosion and galvanic pairs
10.4 Impact, vibration and fatigue
10.5 Chemicals, electricity, fire and contact with food or people
10.6 Weight, cost and local availability in Nigeria
10.7 A selection method
10.8 Case studies

Take the Chapter 10 assessment

11Manufacturing Processes: Additive, Subtractive and Formative

11.1 Classifying processes
11.2 Additive manufacturing
11.3 Subtractive processes
11.4 Formative processes
11.5 Choosing a process
11.6 Case studies

Take the Chapter 11 assessment

123D Printers: How They Work and How to Run Them

12.1 Anatomy of an FDM printer
12.2 G-code for 3D printing
12.3 Slicing
12.4 Calibration
12.5 Resin and powder printing
12.6 Troubleshooting
12.7 Design rules for printed parts
12.8 Case studies

Take the Chapter 12 assessment

13Maintaining 3D Printers

13.1 Maintenance schedules
13.2 Nozzles
13.3 Belts, pulleys, bearings and lead screws
13.4 Build surfaces
13.5 Filament storage and drying
13.6 Resin printer care and safety
13.7 Spare parts, logbooks and fault records
13.8 Case studies

Take the Chapter 13 assessment

14CNC Machines: How They Work and How to Run Them

14.1 Machines and axes
14.2 G-code and M-code for machining
14.3 CAM in Fusion 360
14.4 Cutting tools
14.5 Feeds and speeds
14.6 Workholding and zeroing
14.7 Laser cutters and engravers
14.8 Case studies

Take the Chapter 14 assessment

15Maintaining CNC Machines and Laser Cutters

15.1 Preventive maintenance schedules
15.2 Chips, dust and extraction
15.3 Lubrication
15.4 Spindles, collets and tool wear
15.5 Squareness, tram and backlash
15.6 Laser cutter care
15.7 Machine safety
15.8 Case studies

Take the Chapter 15 assessment

16Workshop Practice and Safety

16.1 Workshop safety
16.2 Measuring tools
16.3 Hand tools and power tools
16.4 Fastening and joining
16.5 Woodwork and wood joints
16.6 Making battery packs
16.7 Case studies

Take the Chapter 16 assessment

17Robot Manufacturing and Robot-Aided Manufacturing

17.1 Building robot chassis and mechanisms
17.2 Industrial robots in manufacturing
17.3 Quality control and inspection
17.4 Case studies

Take the Chapter 17 assessment

18Prototyping, Testing and Iteration

18.1 Prototypes and their fidelity
18.2 Test plans
18.3 User testing
18.4 Reliability testing
18.5 Failure mode and effects analysis
18.6 Case studies

Take the Chapter 18 assessment

19Costing, Intellectual Property and Launch

19.1 Bill of materials and cost estimation
19.2 Pricing and break-even
19.3 Intellectual property
19.4 Standards, certification and approvals
19.5 Launch
19.6 Capstone: a complete product dossier
19.7 Case studies

Take the Chapter 19 assessment

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