The DuPont Dimension XL was an evolutionary product for the Dimension product line. The first step of the project was to determine the appropriate aesthetic direction for the cabinet. While developing and testing the various cabinet styles a solid modeler was used to develop alternative system layouts. After the aesthetic direction was selected, and the frame concept chosen, a soft model was fabricated for an ease of use evaluation that was conducted in the US and Europe. During development, areas of responsibility included the frame and baseplate, sample wheel, ISE implementation, and cabinet design. To facilitate manufacturing and to provide a flexible foundation for future modules, the frame is a two component system. One section contains the mechanical system , the other houses the electrical system. The sample wheel module was designed to improve the ease of use of the system by adding the flexibility of a segmented wheel and an improved software interface. To accelerate the development, the ISE module was designed on a solid modeler, prototyped with sterolithography, and parts were cast in urethane in a matter of weeks instead of months. . The cabinet is designed to be manufactured from several different processes. Sheet metal, pressure forming, structural foam and rotational molding are utilized to produce the cabinet.
