Five pitfalls to avoid when designing an artery hose or piping system for mission-critical gas and fluid transportation in your machinery. Get it right first time as failure is not an option.
Our experience over the years has taught us some essential lessons when it comes to designing a complex artery hose or piping system for a machine. Working day in day out in this niche field, we have come across every pitfall an engineer will encounter throughout the design phase. We want to share our knowledge and experiences with you to help you get it right first time as we know failure is not an option. We understand the machine you design has to work 24/7, 365 days a year. Read on to find out our top tips on how to prevent the most common pitfalls in the design phase.
Forgetting to get a second opinion
As engineers ourselves, we understand the pressures of getting an end product out on the market as quickly as possible in the most efficient, safe and feasible way. But in doing this, sometimes we fall down one of the most common pitfalls: the underestimation of earlier supplier involvement. We advise collaborating with a co-design engineering company in the concept design phase or at the preliminary design review (PDR) phase at the very latest. Think of it as a second opinion to guarantee your design is flawless. Why at the beginning and not later? As this is the time when a virtual design can still be easily altered. Getting expert advice about which components and connectors are exactly right for a particular assembly or machine will save both time and money in the long term. If you wait to include a specialist of complex hose systems at the critical design review (CDR) phase when the specs have been set and the detail design drawings have been drawn, then flaws in the design will be discovered too late. Leading to more iterations in the design which might change other components and the assembly it is built in. Worst case scenario would be: back to the drawing board, which would increase costs and waste precious time and energy. Finding flaws early on in the conceptual design phase means you will always get the design right first time.
Availability of components
The pitfall here is not securing the components you need at the right time. We often see that customers wait till the end of the design phase to contact an engineering and manufacturing partner. This can sometimes disrupt the process and planning. Why? Twelve weeks later, a component needed in the design may not be available anymore. This can lead to unwanted or unforeseen delays. The best way of overcoming this challenge is to collaborate with a gas and fluid hose manufacturer at an early stage in the design process who will ensure the needed components are guaranteed in stock for when it is needed.
Using only standard components
Some engineering companies only use standardized components. This can often be the right plug in/plug out solution for an assembly or machine. However, we have learnt from experience that this is not always the case and can sometimes be a pitfall. Not all standardized components work for every system. Sometimes you come across a design with too many complex challenges. Think of high temperature, FIV, high pressure and misalignment being a challenge all at once. We believe that it is always smart to think even more outside of the box than usual or get a second opinion to view the design from another perspective. Perhaps a specially designed custom-made hose would work better for a particular application? Perhaps it can overcome more challenges simultaneously making your machine work even more efficiently than before? From our experience, specially designed hoses always add value. Always fits perfectly. And will result in an impeccably designed system with far less breakdowns.
Underestimate the final design phase
A challenge many engineers face is underestimating unforeseen outcomes during testing and validation phase. Even the crème de la crème of engineering specialists can fall into this trap. If all our designs were completely perfect and guaranteed to work 100% of the time then we would never need testing and validation at all, would we? But we all know this isn’t the case. Testing and validation is crucial and a much-needed part of what we do. Most of the time flaws in the design are discovered, which means delays in the planning and even possibly going back five steps in the design process. This can lose precious time and add costs to the budget. Cooperating with a specialist hose design and engineering partner early on in the process ensures the testing and validation phase goes as smoothly as possible. A real pathfinder of artery solutions will always know if a design is feasible.
Running out of time
All the pitfalls mentioned above can affect the planning and timing of a project. We know how important it is to keep to tight schedules and strict deadlines. To help ensure that your planning goes according to plan, it’s handy to involve an expert co-design hose manufacturer early on in the design phase. This will prevent all the listed pitfalls from happening throughout the design process. The earlier the involvement, the quicker any flaws or problems can be discovered and overcome. In addition, if the design phase goes over schedule, an experienced hose manufacturer might be able to come to the rescue and manufacture the product in less time than what was originally planned. Ensuring your product still goes to market on time. That’s why it is so important to have a good partnership with a reliable supplier you can trust.
Looking for expert advice
Next time you are starting to work on a design, please think of us. At CoreDux, we love to help our clients and share our expert advice already in the concept design phase of a project. As specialists with infinite knowledge of hoses, we are able to make the little tweaks to a design that can make all the difference. Think of us as an engineering and manufacturing partner you can rely on. Always offering honest and worthwhile recommendations as a co-designer. Feel free to reach out to us whenever you are looking for expert advice. We are always here to help.
Don’t forget if you are interested in learning more about challenges in the design phase and how to overcome them, then why not sign up for our next masterclass in mechanical artery design. For more details see the CoreDux® Academy.
