The development of innovative products is a fundamental process as a factor of competitiveness. Increased competition, rapid technological changes, the reduction of life cycle of products and greater demand from consumers require businesses agility, productivity and quality which necessarily depend on the efficiency and effectiveness of the company in this process.

In an industrial cluster as the Portuguese, mainly focused on producing components to incorporate in products from outside, it is essential to seek to intervene in the development of its own products, innovative, sustainable, and high added value. This course will provide to the student the acquisition of skills in the field of general product design, innovative product development and ergonomics.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Define product characteristics based on the needs identified and the objectives.
2. Generate conceptual designs to meet objectives, restrictions and needs.

Syllabus:

1. Development of new products

1.2 Product Development Process

1.3 Market analysis (identifying the need for new products and limitations of existing products)

1.4 Characterization and Product Specifications

2. Creativity and innovation

2.1 Creative environments

2.2 Tools and techniques to support creativity

2.3 Biomimicry as a source of inspiration

3. Theories of Product Design

3.1 Concept of Design. Areas of Design. Interdisciplinary Design Product

3.2 The value of the product

3.3 Semiotics of product

3.4 Color, shape, texture

3.5 Eco-Design, Sustainable Design, Inclusive Design.

4. Anthropometry and Ergonomics

5. Design for X

This course aims to present some methodologies that support the sustainable design process of products and processes, as well as some of the existing techniques which can be applied to the different stages of design process.

The main objective of this course is to allow the acquisition of necessary knowledge to apply the methodologies and technics to product design. The intention of sustainable design is to “eliminate negative environmental impact completely through skillful, sensitive product design”.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Summarize idea and plan project
2. Identify and understand the steps and best techniques to support these steps

Syllabus:

1. Sustainable Design: definitions and concepts:

1.1. Principles of Sustainable Design

2. Nature Design: Biomimicry

3. Engineering Sustainability

4. Lifecycle Assessment, Eco-design and Eco-indicators

5. Environmental Impacts of Materials, Green Materials and Resource Management Technologies

6. Natural Resources and Sustainability:

6.1. Sustainable Water and Wastewater Systems

6.2. Applied Renewable Energy Technologies, Energy Management and Power Systems

The subject of High Performance Materials intends to develop the basic knowledge level on materials science students possess after graduate level. Students are taught to apply systematic material selection procedures, to learn about and investigate innovative materials and the respective technologies, within domains such as biomaterials and natural materials, as well as to assess the performance of materials for engineering applications, to combine different materials in applications requiring specific characteristics in fields as diverse as electronics, medicine, aerospace, automotive, etc.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Define functions, constraints and objectives of a component within the scope of the product, if applicable
2. Select materials for one or more product components, if applicable

Syllabus:

1 Materials Review

1.1 Materials for Engineering Applications: Mechanical and Physical Properties

2 Materials Selection

2.1 Selection by Function

2.2 Selection considering shape

2.3 Selection of composite materials

3 Biomaterials

3.1 Definitions and fields of application

3.2 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation biomaterials

4 Porous and Cellular Materials

4.1 Polymeric foams

4.1.1 Properties

4.1.2 Production techniques

4.2 Natural cellular materials

4.2.1 Wood

4.2.2 Cork

In this unit, it is intended that students acquire modeling and simulation skills. Also to develop mathematical models to create geometric modeling, to program linear finite element problems, to interpret and compute structural problems using commercial software and to make an isogeometric analysis starting from geometric model and using numerical methods.

Syllabus:

1 – Geometric modeling

2 – Programing the finite element method

3 – Introduction to non-linear problems

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Present a proposal for computational analysis or create a parametric model of the product or part of the product

This unit intends to provide knowledge about creativity, innovation, marketing and strategy, necessary for the formulation of a marketing plan. Thus, in this unit students are taught how to define and distinguish the concepts of Marketing, understand the process of innovation and marketing and its importance in business success, perceive the importance of marketing and innovation as a competitive advantage generator.

During classes, students will develop the capacity to generate, discuss and implement new ideas and recognize market opportunities; demonstrate binding of the marketing practices to release successful new products, develop skills that allow them to be reviewed individually and in groups, as players of the creative process. They also will relate innovation and competitive advantage, formulate marketing strategies and assess organizations towards the innovative process development and the company’s products competitiveness.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. The Market Value. Identify your customers. Identify competition. SWOT analysis.
2. Identification of suppliers. Strategic Marketing Mix Formulation

Syllabus

1. Introduction

2. Creativity and product development

3. Innovation Management

4. The Marketing Plan

The attendance of a master entails the development of a scientific work, so students have the opportunity to become familiar with of scientific research. It is intended for students to develop basic notions on the methodology of scientific research, so that they understand science as a process of production and communication of knowledge; it is also intended to provide tools for the student to write and present academic work with accuracy, systematization and critical spirit, encouraging the practice of standardization of criteria in the methodology of citation / referencing.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Identify issues that need research: competing products, existing technical solutions.
2. To write a State of the art (bibliographic review) on a topic relevant to the global work (product or other) using the tools introduced in class.

Syllabus

Basics of Scientific Research

Qualitative and quantitative research

The process of research

Communications and Texts for the Scientific Community

Library resources

Writing of scientific texts

Publishing scientific texts

Research Project

Scientific Research in Portugal

Intellectual Property

This curricular unit will supply the student with general competencies in the area of the mechanical behaviour of components in service as well as in the area of material selection for engineering applications. The student will be taught to characterize materials in terms of strength, fracture and fatigue, and to select materials and polymer matrix composites for engineering applications.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Identify and perform mechanical characterization of materials or components in the product

Syllabus

1. Materials used in the manufacture of mechanical components

2. Composite materials and polymer matrix composites

2.1. Classification and processing techniques

2.2. Physical and mechanical properties

3. Mechanical behaviour

3.1. Fracture and Impact

3.1.1. Key Concepts

3.1.2. Experimental Procedures

3.2. Fatigue

3.2.1. Key Concepts

3.2.2. Fatigue Tests

3.2.3. Propagation of fatigue cracks

3.3. Creep

This unit aims the acquisition of knowledge regarding the most advanced manufacturing technologies and unconventional industrial processes as well as the specifics associated with each of them.

The student is taught to understand and use modern rapid prototyping systems, to select the processing parameters best suited to the production of prototype quality, to understand and use modern manufacturing systems quickly and micro-fabrication and to understand the importance of nanotechnology in the technical aspects, ethical and social.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Suggest alternative manufacturing process solutions following previously selected materials / shapes
2. Prototype the product or specific parts, if applicable

Syllabus:

1. Rapid prototyping processes

– Steps manufacturing

– Stereolithography processes

– Sintering

– Extrusion

– 3D Printing

– Mixed Processes

– Recent Developments

2. Rapid Manufacturing Processes: Direct techniques; Indirect techniques; Hybrid techniques

3. Micro-fabrication

– Micro-injection

– Procedures for removal of material: lithographic and non-lithographic

– Processes additives: photo-polymerization and sintering

– Hybrid Processes

– Process for the production of micro-components

4. Nanotechnologies

It is intended that students get general and specific knowledge, about the main directions used in the field of Energy and Rational Use of Energy/Electrical Efficiency (RUE/ EE) and the main trends to better understand and frame the importance and true potential of ERU/ EE the future of the energy sector. Students are also taught about the principles of sustainable development., and to interpret and recognize sustainable energy systems.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Optimize the energy required to develop the product.
2. The energy consumed in the production stages must be of renewable origin.

Syllabus

1) Introduction to the Concept of Sustainable Development (SD)

2) Sustainable Energy Systems

3) Renewable Energy

4) Data Energy in Portugal

5) Data Energy in the World

6) Energy Efficiency

7) Energy Diagnosis – Compressed Air

The curricular unit of the Master in Product Design Engineering aims providing the student with the acquisition of competences related to recycling of the different kind of materials. The student is taugth to:

– Know the terminology, concepts, perspectives and tools of recycling.

– Define strategies for the development of methodologies in the aim of materials. Reduction / Reuse / Repair / Recycling.

– Identify the most appropriate methodologies and techniques for recycling different kind of materials.

– Optimise resources, processes and products obtained by recycling.

– Answer to emergent solicitations of the market and services in the aim of materials recycling.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Identification of materials taking into account the feasibility of reducing the amount of material and future possibility of reuse / repair / recycle.
2. If possible, consider the life cycle of the materials / product.

Syllabus:

1. Introduction to recycling

1.1 General concepts

1.2 Advantages of recycling

2. Perspectives and legal framework of recycling

3. Recyclable and non-recyclable materials

4. Solid Urban Waste

4.1 Treatment Processes

4.2 Composting

4.3 Incineration and co-incineration

5. Recycling polymeric, metallic, ceramic and composite materials

5.1. Raw materials and respective classification

5.2. Treatment, processes, techniques and equipment recycling

6. Applications of recycled materials

7. Trends and prospects for recycling

The unit of Advanced Production Technologies intends to extend the basic skills about production processes in the sense of understanding less conventional processes, applicable to cases of greater specificity and / or demand. It is intended particularly to present the student general knowledge about unconventional machining and joining processes, and the basics of Design for Manufacturing.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Suggest alternative manufacturing process solutions following selected materials / shapes
2. Compare two or more manufacturing process alternatives applicable to one or more parts of the product

Syllabus:

1. Review of Conventional manufacturing processes
2. Basics of Design for Manufacturing
3. Conventional machining processes
4. Classification groups: mechanical, chemical, thermal
5. Mechanical Machining : ultrasound, waterjet, abrasive waterjet, abrasive flow, magnetic abrasive.
6. Chemical Machining, Electrochemical Machining, Electrolytic Rectification.
7. Thermal Machining: EDM, Laser, Electron-Beam.
8. Combined processes: combined electrochemical processes: electrochemical rectification; combined thermal processes: electro-discharge grinding; combined chemical – thermal processes: eletrochemical erosion.
9. Non-conventional welding processes: friction welding, friction stir welding.

This curricular unit provides the student with a general knowledge in the scientific and technologic area of automated systems. It brings into the master programme two different components within this area of knowledge which should always be present in the process of product development.

The first one gives the student a general view of the different technologies and methodologies currently used in the automation of some functions of a product and the second focuses on the processes of production automation. The unit allows an overview of the field, necessarily not very deep,with the methods, technologies and applications currentrly in use in the automation of industrial processes.

The general objectives are:

1. To provide the student with the knowledge and the competence to recognize the main types of systems and technologies for the automation of industrial processes, from sensors to control and automation systems and to robotics.
2. To provide the student with the knowledge and capacity to use and conceive automation and control applications of low and medium complexity.

This unit will enable students to perform the following tasks in the scope of the Global Work:

1. Understand the possibilities and limitations of automatic operation of the product, if applicable.
2. Understand the possibility of automating the production, promoting a project (design) that facilitates it.

Syllabus:

General notions on automatic systems

Notion of system

System analysis

Controller synthesis

Sensors and instrumentation

Basic notions on instrumentation

Sensors

Signal conditioning

Automatic industrial systems

Basic definitions

Command part and operating part

The programmable logic controller and its applications

Introduction to robotics

Industrial robots

Mobile robots

Advanced robotics