Photoreceptor Belt Tensioning System Project Example

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The Xerox Co. designs, manufactures and markets iGen3, a color printer than can produce photo-quality prints at 110 pages per minute. When the current iGen3 was to be modified, the engineering team was tasked with redesigning the belt tensioning mechanism on the photoreceptor into a smaller package without adjusting the length of the belt. The redesign had to take several noise factors into account. The outcome of the project was a design that met the constraints placed on it by the system.

This IDOV project is a practical example of how Design for Lean Six Sigma (DFLSS) can bring about the best option available in a constrained design. The final conclusion the team made was that the mechanical design could be optimized to improve the robustness of the output – belt tension – as a function of hardware-based variation. Areas design could not be made more robust were also determined.