Online Education
design4X has developed online educational courses for product development engineers, manufacturing engineers, and others involved in the supply chain of manufactured products. We combined the knowledge of world-class experts in design and manufacturing with the best in instructional technology.
Read more about our classes below and to see a free preview. If interested in purchasing classes, please contact us for more information.
Customer-Focused Design Using QFD (free preview)
This course will help engineers and managers increase the quality and performance of their product by creating a customer-focused design. It teaches the Quality Function Deployment (QFD) method. The use of QFD increases quality by flowing down the customer requirements to the component design, filtering and communicating the important product development data, guiding benchmarking efforts, guiding the allocation of design resources, and aiding in the budgeting of final product costs among the various components.
Instructor: Dr. Mark Martin
Estimated time to complete*: Mini course (1 - 2 hours); Mastery course (3 - 6 hours)
"Excellent course. Will not hesitate in recommending it to others." A.F. (Design for Six Sigma expert, Lear Corporation)
"I would [recommend this course]. I think that this is the best time that I've spent on the web in months. It was a very well made, informative few hours." M. I. (Master Black Belt, Fortune 10 company)
Design4X and the Alliance for Innovative Manufacturing (AIM) at Stanford University have partnered to create a unique online educational experience in manufacturing. The course, titled "How Everyday Things are Made", takes a look at how items we use everyday are manufactured - from milk bottles, to candy, clothes, cars, airplanes, and numerous other items. The purpose of the class is to cultivate an appreciation for what goes into the design and manufacturing of products. The course is targeted towards non-engineers and will include material that can be incorporated into high school science classes. Best of all, it will be offered absolutely free to all who want to take it.
Estimated time to complete*: Hours & hours!!
See what they're saying about "How Everyday Things Are Made"
"I have just visited the 'How everyday things are made' website after reading about it in the New York Times. I’ve only watched one segment (glass bottles) and had to immediately let you know that the website is ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING, in concept, content, organization and presentation."
"I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed each and every video you have available. Thank you for making this information so easily accessible."
"Very impressed guys, I'm an Information Processes technology and Design and Technology teacher in Australia & this site is fantastic."
"What a good job you did both as engineers and educators."
"Thank you! What a blast!"
Reducing Defects Through Mistake-Proofing Your Design
Mistake-proofing, also known as Poka-Yoke in Japan, is a method to reduce manufacturing and design errors. This course teaches a detailed step-by-step method for diagnosing and applying mistake-proofing techniques. This enhanced method for mistake-proofing includes numerous examples.
Instructor: Dr. Martin Hinckley
Estimated time to complete*: Mini course (1 - 2 hours); Mastery course (4 - 8 hours)
We've all heard the stories, now get the "scoop" on designing for supply chain. This course explains the basics of supply chain, such as how to calculate safety stock and service levels - and how these affect supply chain costs. It gives the product design team enough information to understand how their design decisions affect these costs. The course uses simple examples (toilet paper, beer) and sophisticated examples (printers) to help the viewer understand why supply chain is important.
Instructor: Dr. Mark Martin
Estimated time to complete*: Mastery course (3 - 6 hours)