An inter-disciplinary approach to design

The doctoral research study referred to in this paper is the fusion of two disciplines that have both been instrumental in creating an environmentally conscious product. Inter-disciplinary studies in the field of materials science and industrial design converge with the aim to help push each discipline further in the pursuit for advanced knowledge in materials development and designed outcomes. The above approach facilitated significant breakthroughs in both disciplines: in materials science through drastic improvement of adhesion properties of timber through rigorous scientific research and in product design through utilising product performance requirements for advanced industrial design as a means for innovation. An environmentally friendly water-based process for surface modification of timber, developed by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) was tested for its potential ability to enhance adhesion of timber products and then implemented into the product design process. The surface modification process applied to the outermost surface of timber neutralises natural extractives and chemically bonds adhesive promoting molecular chains to the timber's surface. The process is carried out to significantly increase the quality of adhesion of an applied decorative or protective coating. The ensuing testing confirmed a drastic increase in the bond strength for all timber species investigated in this project by an average factor of four-fold, with some species achieving a 10-fold strength increase. The successful outcome of this scientific research is subsequently applied in the development of a timber window frame that utilises this new surface modification technology to create an environmentally friendly product outcome. Surface-engineered, sustainably produced regrowth timber used in this work provides the performance comparable, and in some cases better, than unsustainable hardwoods which currently dominate the timber window frame market. The design segment of this research utilises a design process based on technology-led design strategies. Technology-led design requires that the existing and accepted design methodologies, based on user and producer design parameter paradigms, are reconfigured. While the needs of potential users for any new product have to be met, the design strategies are typically directed and restrained by the material's design limits and current manufacturing practices and considerations. In this paper we discuss an innovative approach to the product design that removes or pushes the boundaries of materials properties limitations; the process which is led by design desires targeting enhanced materials with specific properties superior to those currently available.