ABSTRACT
Overview Mechanical design is the act of developing a machine that will best meet some identified need: a more fuel efficient truck engine, a silent electric shaver, or, for us perhaps, a thin compact winch capable of fitting within a 6″ high platform. This design effort entails work in dozens of areas that range from the easily quantifiable ones of cost, weight, and size to the subjective issues of aesthetics or impressing an important client. A mechanical design process attempts to provide a structure within which this design effort is gently guided to a successful conclusion.
