ABSTRACT
Most prototyping projects will require acquiring components to make a prototype, and in fact, the more off-the-shelf components that can be purchased and used, the quicker the prototype can be realized. However, many engineers do not have the knowledge to systematically proceed with component acquisition. This chapter presents a procedure for prototyping a system using component catalogs for a portion or all of the components. The procedure presented for choosing components should also be useful in most engineering projects. The issues regarding choosing components from a catalog apply to any design project and can be extremely frustrating and costly. Many engineers have been involved in many time-sensitive projects where the wrong component or material was specified, ordered, or delivered. Statistical tolerance analysis is conducted to specify appropriate tolerances about the nominal values established in parameter design to achieve a balance between setting wide tolerances to facilitate manufacture and minimizing tolerances to optimize product performance.
