ABSTRACT
The process begins by conceiving a physical concept for the product based on customer needs and a product specification and then creating a preliminary layout of the design that embodies the physical concept (Fig. 4.2). This initial phase is often referred to as the conceptual design stage and typically involves activities I through 5 listed above. The preliminary layout represents a conceptual arrangement of parts that implement the physical concept and working principle of the product. It is preliminary because, at most, only key dimensions and relationships between parts have been specified; the actual size, shape, and detail features of the parts are, as yet, either undefined or only partially defined.
