Product l ifecycle m anagement Competency Centre (P lm CC)

Mr Michael Petersen

The PLMCC team members are Mr Michael Petersen (Coordinator/Manager), Donovan Cogan (Research Assistant), Michael Khan Tal (Research Assistant), Adriaan Broodryk (Research Assistant) and Thaafier Israel (Admin).

The centre is an initiative in collaboration with the French Ministry of Education and Research, Dassault Systemes and CPUT, and conducts research in product design and development, system engineering (SE), and product lifecycle management (PLM) through the use of high end CAD, CAM, CAE and PDM software. The PLMCC hosts and supervises projects at BTech and MTech levels, and trains students, technicians, engineers and designers to use this software, and to apply PLM and SE methodology.

Highlights for 2014

• The PLMCC has undergone a few changes. The Executive Director, Prof Stephane Bouye, has left the PLMCC as his mission has come to an end. Mr Michael Petersen has taken over as manager, after shadowing Prof Bouye for the past three years. The PLMCC has also moved into the brand new facility in the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering (DEECE), offering more space and modern features.

• 97 students were trained at the PLMCC during 2014. These students came from mechanical engineering, mechatronics, industrial design and chemical engineering, and comprised 15 MTech, 35 BTech and 40 National Diploma students.

• The PLMCC also hosted 14 interns during 2014. These interns were from SUPMECA, ENIM and ENSAIT from France, and Inholland University and Amsterdam University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Collaborative projects

• The PLMCC took part in an educational collaborative project, Digital Farm Project, with ENIM University in France. The task was to develop technology for farming using a virtual environment. The PLMCC was asked to develop a device that would track a seeder, measure the depth of seed, and measure the humidity in the soil. The project was completed successfully and a prototype has been developed at ENIM.

• The Gel Fuel Project with the AMTL and Western Cape Provincial Government involved the PLMCC improving the design and efficiency of a gel fuel stove, while keeping it low cost. The goal of the project is to produce a gel fuel stove that is safe, low cost, efficient and aesthetically and ergonomically sufficient for use in low income households. The project is ongoing, with a prototype in development.

• The PLMCC and the Department of Electrical Engineering are developing an urban style electric vehicle to race in at the Shell Eco-Marathon competition. This vehicle will be constructed almost entirely out of hemp material. The design has been completed, with funding being sought for manufacturing.

• The PLMCC and the TIA AMTL are doing further research and development on the UAV design. This project is ongoing.

• The PLMCC collaborated with the TIA AMTL to develop the Formula Student car. The PLMCC not only trained, supervised and assisted the students involved in the project, but also completed much of the design work. This project was completed successfully, with the Formula Student team improving on its position from 2012.

• The Universal Design project was headed up by the Department of Industrial Design, and the PLMCC was contracted to do the design and development of the kitchen appliance concept. This concept was developed for people with special needs, specifically one-handed persons. The project was completed and the prototype was showcased at CPUT’s Disability Day.

Seminars and conferences

The PLMCC attended and promoted its concepts at the following seminars and conferences: Design Indaba, ESTEQ seminar, PRODUCT ONE seminar, SAIMECHE and the CPUT Electrical Engineering BTech Conference. The PLMCC presented two papers at the SAIMECHE conference: The aerodynamic design and development of a Shell Eco-Marathon urban concept vehicle through CFD analysis (Donovan Cogan); and Simulation of a hybrid electric vehicle (Michael Khan Tal).