GUBING WANG
HELLO I'M GUBING
I LOVE SOLVING PROBLEMS
Placement @ GSK
Overview
From 2015 to 2016, I worked as an Industrial Placement student in GlaxoSmithKline. I worked on designing a novel drug delivery device in the Device Engineering department. My experience has been fantastic and I would like to share what I have learnt. The project cannot be disclosed due to confidentiality reasons. I have put my thoughts and learnings throughout the year in words, some are shown below and please check my blogs for more information.
Apply and develop engineering knowledge
In terms of knowledge, I find sophisticated calculations and derivations are rarely used in my project, instead concepts and theories are more helpful. For example, I applied the concept of Bernoulli equation during my design (Bernoulli equation states that when flow rate increases at one location the pressure drops at the same location), but I didn't use this specific equation to do any calculation. I used Autodesk CFD to simulate my design and help me to solve the equations.
I applied engineering thinking during simulation. I defined what I want to know from my model and make reasonale assumptions. I specified the inputs based on literature and knowledge and analyse the outputs. I ran comparison studies to examine how senstive is one particular geomtery to the design performance.
I use Creo (CAD modelling software) to create a virtual model for my design. It helps me to represent my idea and generate following drawings for manufacture, and acts as the input geometry for my simulation. I find there are more than one way to create a feature in the software usually, if one method keeps giving me error, instead of trying to figure out why it does so, it is more efficient for me to switch to another method. Another time-saving method I use is to do the model bit by bit. For example, when I want to modify a bunch of surfaces, I can start by first picking only two surfaces and test if the modefication works, instead of spending half an hour selecting all the surfaces and then it turns out that this method is wrong. The features in CAD software could be interdependent, and I am careful with the references. To be specific, the features created later (children features) could use the references of the previous features (parent features). If parent features is deleted, the children features will fall apart subsequently. I learnt to fix problems timely, instead of leaving it and fixing it in the future. As the existing problem might give rise to other problems, which are more difficult to solve. This principle applies to daily work as well.
When I generate drawings for my design, I obeyed certain templates and rules because the drawings will be archived, and it is good engineering practice to make sure the data stored is consistent along the way. I have learned technical drawings in Stress Analysis course at Imperial, so I know the criteria of a good drawing. The soul is that the drawing should help the technicians to understand the design, so I check about the dimensions annotated are just enough, as redundant dimensions can be confusing, and make sure the layout is clear.
Then I hand the drawings to our Principal Design Engineer, who is in charge of checking drawings, and then he will sign the drawings after making sure everything is correct. If I modified the design after it had been archived, I would create new drawings and update their version, and create a document stating why this change is made. This document needs to be checked and signed too. Therefore people in the future is able to see how the design progressed and will not make the same mistake again. I find it is very important to have these procedure, as data quality is one key to success. GSK holds high awareness on quality, and I participated in one quiz event organized by its R&D division to be aware of quality risks surrounding me. The main contention from the quiz is: Quality is important in all the companies and also in our daily lives. Poor quality can lead to disasters like the NASA rocket, Toyota cars and BP oil rigs. In order to maintain the quality, it is vital to obey GxP (Good x Practice) and SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), which might seem cumbersome at the beginning but helps the company to succeed in the long run.
Personal Responsibility and Effectiveness
I learnt it is important to find the balance between time and how far down the rabbit hole I would like to go. It is impossible to make everything perfect. Take learning software for example, I could spend ages to familiarise myself with every feature, then I do not have enough time for my project. The wise way is learning the big structure first and then the parts that are relevant to with my project. My line manager once sent a article in the team about how to become an extraordinary employee, one point that I deeply agree with is that "they focus". Good employee knows what are important and focus on them.
I came up with a timeline for the project with my supervisor, and I learnt it is vital to leave plenty of time before the real deadline because things could not happen as planned due to uncertainties. The uncertainties I encounted in GSK are higher than Imperial, mainly because the collaboration between people is more complexed in companies. I estimated the time taken for me to finish a CAD model and a CFD simulation. The time estimation are realistic and should not compensate the quality of work, and it is necessary to update the timeline regularly. I also got to use Outlook as a time management tool more proficiently.
Human Factors and User-centred Design
I also gained rich knowledge about user-centred design along the way. I have been interested in design since high school, and took online course about it, and now there is a real project out there for me to apply my design knowledge. When designing a product, I have to make sure it is not only functioning well but also intuitive to use. The coordination of design and engineering is fascinating. Designing is about ask correct questions, and how to make sure the correct questions are asked is understanding the context, i.e. speak to the users, observe them using the device. These are done using Voices of Customers (VOC) and Patient Handling Studies. I have volunteered in two formative studies organized by Device Engineering and read through relevant FDA and MHRA to have a solid understanding of adverse event and critical tasks etc. The interviews at the inital stage of the design are normally carried out at users' home, so the user will feel more comfortable and not get influenced by the peers and also because the environment which the user is living in can convey lots of information too. Then we analysed the verbal and behavioural feedbacks from the users and identified the problem needed to be solved, and specify them into a design intent document. We then had the brainstorming session and selected a few concepts for further development, I undertook an online course about product design at the meantime, and learnt some ideation and selection tools. It is vital to come up with a novel concept, it is even more important to develop it, make it into more detail. For example, I want to design a swimsuit with low drag and I get inspired by the bumps in the shark skin, but making some bumps on the swimsuit just like the ones on the shark skin is not enough. I need to specify the locations and sizes of the bumps on the swimsuit and make adaptations where needed. The same thinking applies to my project: question every detail. For example, the number of steps of operating the device should be minimised, the force to open the device should be within a range, the patient can get feedback to make sure they have done the correct thing. The appearance of the device doesn't have to be fancy, but it has to convey the message that the device is reliable and robust. I learnt there's no perfect design, as there are more factors that I need to take into account and these might restrict my design. The Principal Design Engineer showed me a amazing design concept he made years ago, which is compact, comfortable to hold and easy to use. However an oval-shaped wheel is needed, and manufacturers have never made a wheel of this shape before and thus there is a risk in the product quality, so this design ended up in the bin.
I have been enjoying and participating in the collaborative and supportive environment that I found myself to be in, and many thanks for GlaxoSmithKline for giving me such an invaluable experience.