Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
52 Engineering Fundamentals
Specifi cation sheets provide the necessary
technical information to the builder or manu-
facturer of the product. The specifi cation sheets
include the exact material to be used, how it is
to be made, specifi c parts to be included, toler-
ances (acceptable variation from limitations),
and more. The specifi cation sheets ensure the
product will be made to the exact requirements
of the engineer.
When the drawings and specifi cations sheets
are complete, they are sent to management or
clients for fi nal approval.
See Workbook Activity 3-7 to draw a
design solution and write a specification
sheet for it.
Design Improvement
No design is perfect, and all designs can be
improved in some way. Although a product has
been identifi ed as the best possible solution to a
problem, is past the testing stage, and has gone into
production, there is still room for improvement.
From the time a product is made, people will
redesign it to be cheaper, safer, more effective, or
to meet some other need.
Products must be constantly improved to
keep up with advances in technology and the
demands of the marketplace. Companies are in
direct competition to increase their share of the
market. They are constantly redesigning products
in an effort to gain an edge and increase profi ts.
Once a product hits the market, companies
can benefi t from a wealth of feedback regarding
their product. This information can be used to
strengthen the design.
Engineers can take a design back to any of
the steps in the design process, make changes,
and work back through the process, Figure 3-14.
This is how many products keep getting cheaper,
safer, smaller, and more effective.
See Workbook Activity 3-8 to review your
design solution and determine if it can be
improved.
Problem Definition
Idea Generation
Solution Creation
Testing/Analysis
Final Solution or Output
Design Improvement
Figure 3-14. 
Designs can be improved
even after a product is
created.
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