ABSTRACT

At request from Cimco Marine this project was performed with the purpose to investigate possible improvements on the cowl to the outboard OXE Diesel. A qualified alternative to the existing cowl from an economic, design and manufacturing point of view, was desired from the client. Early in the project, through interviews and study visits, a comprehensive collection of data was obtained. At this stage, the target group and market was identified, also other relevant knowledge about the context for the product. After analysis of the collected data, a specification of requirements was initiated. This document was continuously updated throughout the project to always be relevant. To continue the development of the new cowl, it was decided to target three main areas in the project. The areas came to be: materials, manufacturing technique and user centered design. Thereafter, followed much work with conceptual developments and further improvements. This process was iterated several times and concepts within the main areas were developed and merged with each other. This created new solutions, which also were iterated. Details were also defined at this stage. The results of this project are an extensive specification of requirements and a concept for a new cowl, which meet the requirements. The new cowl is considered a better option in a materials, manufacturing and user centered design point of view. It is also assessed to be more cost effective than the existing product.