ABSTRACT
Besides aggressively innovating and incorporating new materials and technologies into practical, effective, and timely commercial products, in recent years, many industries have begun to examine new directions that they must cultivate to improve their competitive position in the long term. One thing that has become clearly evident is the need to push the quality issue farther and farther upstream so that it becomes an integral part of every aspect of the product/process life cycle. In particular, many have begun to recognize that it is through engineering design that we have the greatest opportunity to influence the ultimate delivery of products and processes that far exceed the customer needs and expectations.
