RMH-Process-White-Paper-v2

Discovery
Design
DESIGN
PROCESS
AdaptationValidation
Production
Prototype
Creation
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03
04
05
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HoffmanISO 9001 Certified. Established 1959.
RM
RAPIDR
ESPONSE ENGI
NEERING
R.M. Hoﬀman Company’s
Value-Added Design and
Development Process for
the Motion Control Industry
White Paper | May 2016

R.M. HOFFMAN’S VALUE-ADDED DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
– A STORIED LEGACY
FIELD-TESTED PROCESS ENSURES A QUICK ROUTE TO SOLUTIONS
THAT SOLVE MOTION DESIGN PROBLEMS
A leader in mechanical motion, R.M. Hoffman’s storied reputation as a value-added design and development partner is
gaining deserved attention. In addition to national distribution of a broad line of motion control products from leading manu-
facturers, we design and build assemblies to solve mechanical application problems. Your problematic mechanical motion
requirements are welcomed. We are engineers with an excellent design track record and business performance reputation.
R.M. Hoffman continues to build upon nearly 60 years experience in design,
engineering and production for demanding clients who have high-value motion
control and factory automation requirements. When mechanical design problems
crop up – problems not amenable to usual or easy in-house solutions – Hoffman’s
has the reputation as the go-to solution partner to bring in.
OUR CUSTOMERS HAVE MUCH IN COMMON
Hundreds of high-value projects have been handled at Hoffman’s Silicon Valley
headquarters. Clients who partner with us share many qualities:
● The services that are needed transcend ordinary VARs. Hoffman is a full partner at
all levels: design, engineering, manufacturing and quality. The solutions range from
novel, creative slip rings for signal and power to sophisticated (and complicated) high
torque motion drives that fit into challenging envelopes
● Costly manufacturing and production drive the need. Our customers are high value
manufacturers, producing precision assemblies and systems at volume. Typical clients
are OEMs building equipment for the semiconductor, medical devices, pharmaceutical,
packaging, and factory automation industries.
● Lean operations. There’s neither time nor internal engineering skills or bandwidth in
your operation to quickly solve unanticipated equipment-related mechanical motion or
automation problems.
● Common mindset. If at all possible, you want to buy a solution, not make your own. It’s much faster with the right partner.
● Teamwork and collaboration are central to success because everyone involved has to pull in the same direction
● Motivation to solve a solution quickly. You have a problem that needs to be resolved as soon as possible.
R.M. HOFFMAN’S RAPID RESPONSE ENGINEERING DESIGN PROCESS
Nearly 60 years experience coalesces into six discrete yet interactive steps in
our value-added rapid response engineering design process:
● DISCOVERY supports the problem analysis and requirements specification
● DESIGN is the collaborative process details our evidence-based approach
● ADAPTATION flexibly accommodates evolving customer requirements
● PROTOTYPE CREATION proves the design and engineering,
accommodates modifications
● VALIDATION by the customer leads to production approval
● PRODUCTION process delivers finished parts
Value-Added Design and Development Process
for the Motion Control Industry – White Paper | May 2016
R.M. Hoffman Company · 159 San Lazaro Avenue · Sunnyvale, CA 94086 · Tel: 408.739.6580 · Email: info@rmhoffman.com · www.rmhoffman.com Page 2
One example of many. Hoffman
custom crank arm drive designed to
fit a tight envelope while delivering
high torque (3ø motor), no backdriv-
ing in the wormgear. Industry:
semiconductor manufacturing.

Discovery
01
DISCOVERY STEP ORGANIZES A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO SOLVING
MECHANICAL MOTION PROBLEMS
DECADES OF FIELD ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE GUIDE OUR PROCESS,
STEERING CUSTOMERS TO MANUFACTURABLE SOLUTIONS
We call our initial engagement with value-added clients our
discovery process. When we meet (usually, on the phone or via
computer teleconference), we’ll engage in an informal field-proven
approach represented as Step 1 in the infographic. Our objective is to
discover everything knowable. Successive steps beginning with Design
rely on no surprises. Like you, we don’t want false starts.
Most often, we solve your motion problem beginning with a standard
product or by designing and manufacturing a semi-custom electrome-
chanical solution. In rare cases, we will work closely with you on a
custom design.
Our team consists of veteran engineers with a combined resume that is
second to none. We build our team for your specific issue, selecting
backgrounds, skill sets and team member experiences most likely to
achieve a best-practice approach. With decades of field work, R.M.
Hoffman’s resources represent a storied history with a high success rate.
To the extent possible, we’ll ask you to supply the following information
in advance or during our discovery meeting. By working closely with you
as a team, R.M. Hoffman gains needed information and clear understanding. Flexibly, we know that data changes
unexpectedly at times.
Through a file upload box on our web page, or during our initial discovery
meeting, you’ll provide:
● Your type of business and industry
● Clear statement(s) of the problem. More than one point-of-view is
welcome
● Background — you’ll tell the story of how this issue developed
● Solutions you’ve tried that have failed or fallen short
● CAD files, photographs, blueprints, engineering drawings of impacted
mechanisms
● Videos and photos that demonstrate the problem
● Specifications for connected system hardware
Step 1: DISCOVERY
Brake and gearbox assembly designed and manufac-
tured by R.M. Hoffman to solve a challenging human
safety issue (cantilevered human load) in a medical
diagnostic system used at hospitals and clinics.

● Special design and engineering concerns. For example, is human health and safety involved? Will the hardware
need to survive a high-debris environment? Any standards (such as OSHA) to meet?
● Equipment duty cycle and efficiency needed
● Equipment certifications required
● Specific physical objectives:
● Voltage, torque, speed, configuration specifics
● Must the solution fit a specific physical envelope?
● Does the operating environment rule out – or rule in – the use of electrical, hydraulic or pneumatic motion
devices?
● Is the solution destined for an “intrinsically safe” environment (e.g., process control of combustibles)
● Will the solution need to accommodate fieldbus sensors? Which?
● Will the solution include integration into a PLC or DCS (e.g., shaft encoder, sensors)?
We will also ask for timing or deadlines that must be met; the number
of prototypes needed; budget issues; and third-party concerns (for
example, is the facility where the solution is to be installed a secure
U.S. Government operation?)
OUR INTERVIEW PRODUCES A PROPOSAL
We often learn about mechanical motion problems during routine sales
engineer visits. And sometimes our phone rings. An anxious client
asks for help. Hoffman immediately engages our discovery process.
As soon as we gather needed information, test the data and agree to a
tentative schedule, R.M. Hoffman will generate a design concept
proposal for prototypes and an estimate for production.
On approval, the design effort begins without delay. In addition to the
discovery steps enumerated above, there are inevitable questions on
both sides of the table so team work is our style.
Depending on the nature of the problem, R.M Hoffman may schedule a field engineering visit to your impacted
location. Your team will be invited to meet our team either in Sunnyvale or via a web teleconference. We understand
that time is money, so expect us to schedule quickly.
Discovery
01

DESIGN STEP PUTS PROTOTYPE RUBBER ON THE ROAD
TEAMWORK AND QUALITY DATA ARE AT THE HEART OF DESIGN PROCESS
In the second episode of our Process series, we portrayed our Discovery method. R.M. Hoffman insists
upon thorough discovery to avoid false starts. The process leads almost immediately to design. And the
design step is most often quick and straightforward, thanks to highly effective discovery.
During the discovery process preceding the design meeting, Hoffman
establishes non-negotiable elements like the physical envelope,
materials and technical mandates for RPM, torque, gear train back-
lash, and available electrical and environmental requirements. “This
arms us with an understanding of the negotiable elements and specifi-
cations that are variable. We also consider both upstream and down-
stream possibilities for incorporation into our design,” says Krieger,
“Customers are always appreciative of the extra steps.”
Our custom project veteran, Ray Krieger, leads many design sessions.
Ray says most design meetings wrap up in about an hour. And most of
them take place in one or more of three ways:
• Simple teleconference
• E-mail conversations
• If complex ideas need to be aired and discussed, Hoffman uses
services like Citrix’ GoToMeeting so that computer screens can be
shared.
One example of a successful design process is the forward-looking
infrared assembly shown on the left. The design needed to meet
aircraft rating standards. And it had to withstand excessive vibration
during flight. By
discovering these requirements in advance, at the design meeting
we were able to offer an optimal motor drive and ideal linear
actuator. We knew in advance what we could provide in terms of
motion adapters and vibration mounts.
Most design meetings employ a simple agenda -- there is no
pro-forma script to be followed. Once everyone is conferenced-in,
we ask the customer to update the requirements.
Before the meeting, Hoffman has absorbed the output of the
earlier Discovery step. Armed with clear information, our engi-
neers have investigated methods for solving the stated problems
and challenges. Then, during the meeting, we show and tell what
Hoffman is able to do.
Design
02
Step 2: DESIGN

Design
02
To the extent feasible, our engineering team always:
• Looks first to our extensive line card of off-the-shelf mechanical motion hardware -- linear actuators,
motors, gear trains etc.
• Years of working with our mechanical motion OEMs gives us a leg up when factory modifications to a
standard product can solve the problem.
• In other cases, we have been able to make modifications in-house.
Some projects require a fully customized solution.
Our engineers are prepared for demanding require-
ments -- after all, customers come to us because
they have been unable to arrive at a local solution.
And most of our projects use mechanical component
designs that we outsource to trusted and accommo-
dating machine and metal craft shops that we have
partnered with for years.
The deliverable in this process step is the priced
proposal including prototypes (assuming that all
parties are comfortable with the scope and terms of
the project). Upon acceptance, Hoffman gets to work
building the prototypes. Once they are ready, we
meet again to evaluate and adapt the assembly for
the problem.

Adaptation
03
ASSEMBLY CONTRACT LEADS TO ADAPTATION STEP… TWICE
PROTOTYPES FROM ADAPTION STEP PROMPT MUCH IMPROVED DESIGN
The third episode of our Process series explored our Design step. As any engineer will attest, the
proof of design is in the proverbial pudding. There are times when an engineering effort must return to
the drawing board if an effort to adapt the design to actual hardware reveals unexpected or unanticipated issues.
Adaptation is R.M. Hoffman’s process to prove the suitability of the custom or semi-custom solution we’ve
worked out with the customer. Once in a great while a case comes along that breaks all assumptions. This is
such a case. It proves the value of the adaption step like no other.
Our company was contracted by a worldwide leader in medical diagnostics to assemble a large drive train for a
rotating patient-support gantry used in hospital-delivered cancer treatment therapy. The exacting specifications
were developed by a third party.
In other words, it was not a Hoffman design. Yet, it intersected our
well-oiled process at the adaptation step. This is where we acquire
hardware and craft the design in our lab, leading to prototype(s)
and validation testing.
As a reminder, our process starts with comprehensive discovery
then shifts into design, all with customer involvement. In this case,
neither discovery nor our design work preceded our efforts to build
and test the assembly before proceeding with adaptation, prototype
creation, validation and production. The design package in this
interesting case came from a third party.
We treat our process seriously because high value components are
always involved. And in
this case, humans
(patients) are the
physical objective of the
hardware. We were
surprised, of course,
when the third party design specs led swiftly to assembly problems
during adaptation. This was just the beginning of our surprises.
ADAPTATION LESSONS LEAD TO RE-DESIGN
When the third-party design failed on the bench, we were required
to modify the components to quickly achieve a compliant assembly
per customer specs. The new design was then tested in the field.
Step 3: ADAPTATION

Adaptation
03
And testing revealed that further adaptation was necessary. The customer realized that a keyless clamp (driveshaft
to hub) was not satisfactory. They now needed to add a precision keyset to the clamping device to ensure positional
accuracy and patient safety. Looking into the design, we realized that the right angle gearbox we were using could
not be keyed.
Circling back a second time, we were able to acquire a new gearbox from a different vendor, modified with the
required precision keyway. We modified the design accordingly and proceeded back through adaptation. Currently,
we are making prototypes. Throughout the process, our intention has been to exceed customer expectations. We
are nearly ready to build production assemblies.
This experience show how our process – exemplified by the
adaptation step -- is truly a team effort. Our gearbox vendor gets
kudos for swift action to ensure that their product meets the new
requirements. The same accolades apply to our customer for
clearly communicating their design requirements and quickly
reviewing the adapted design.

Prototype
Creation
04
PROTOTYPES ARE DELIVERED QUICKLY AFTER ADAPTATION STEP
PLANNING IN PRIOR STEPS SPEEDS PROTOTYPES
In our Adaption episode, R.M. Hoffman demonstrated the suitability of the custom or semi-custom solution
we’ve collaboratively arranged with our customer. As needed, we return to the drawing board to re-adapt…
or we proceed with the creation of prototypes as soon as adaptation is agreed.
Making prototypes foreshadows production. There’s usually not much difference. For mechanical motion products,
our prototype will employ the same motive elements (motors, actuators, gear trains). Hoffman prototypes are
actually early production models.
Depending on complexity, four to 12 weeks is a typical time span for prototypes to be delivered to our customer.
Prototypes for most projects are ready at the shorter end of the span.
Customers typically need only a few or even a single prototype, depend-
ing entirely on the timetable, complexity and availability of components
and assemblies. In some cases, a higher quantity is requested to enable
testing and validation in diverse locations or with third-party vendors.
Custom assemblies – parts and components needing machine and
metal shop services, or CNC production – may stretch the timetable.
However, our planning process also identifies these contingencies so
that everyone stays on the same page.
When the components are completed and delivered, we assemble them
in our Sunnyvale facility. This enables the engineering team to discover
needed modifications that will be employed with production units.
As we pointed out in our episode on Adaption, Hoffman has developed excellent relationships with various vendors
over the years. When we reach the Prototype step, these relationships
generally pay back with swift response to our orders for gearboxes,
metal work and more. Our partners have learned that customer service
responsiveness is its own reward when the production order arrives.
Step 4: PROTOTYPE
CREATION

Validation
05
RUBBER MEETS ROAD IN VALIDATION STEP
PROTOTYPES ARE TESTED TO SPECIFICATIONS, STANDARDS AND BEYOND
For each custom and semi-custom design, Hoffman performs assembly in our ISO9001-certified Sunny-
vale facility. When the assembly involves approved prototypes, our engineers monitor the work to look
for improvements that can be implemented during actual production.
But first, prototypes need to be validated. This means test and we mean extensive test.
Testing is worked out collaboratively with each customer. For exam-
ple, our prototype for a custom medical application was designed to
provide a wide range of motion for a patient platform. Not only did
the platform have to carry substantial weight (a human patient), it
had to pivot and swivel smoothly through wide arcs while providing
substantial safety. In this case, the prototypes were sent to a
third-party vendor (the firm responsible for building the patient
platform). This vendor mounted our prototype in the patient platform,
completing the subsystem. Working together, we tested every aspect
of the platform motion assembly, including rigorous life-cycle testing
to meet manufacturing durability specifications.
In many cases, a suite of quality control specifications govern
testing, and Hoffman is committed to meet or exceed required
standards. We’ve enjoyed ISO9001 certification since 2007. Even
when specifications and standards are not stated or imposed, our
practice is to always qualify our assemblies to industry standards.
In our experience, validation testing might reveal a need to tweak some aspect of the prototype. Customers are
made aware of design tweaks and their impact on production compo-
nents.
Hoffman’s prototypes achieve validation without difficulties. In the rare
case where problems arise, we quickly make needed changes.
Validation brings the project to production-ready status.
Success in the validation step means production. Our next episode
will detail our production process. At Hoffman’s Sunnyvale facility,
we’ve produced literally hundreds of solutions based on the six step
process described in these episodes.
Step 5: VALIDATION

Production
06
VALIDATED PROTOTYPES ENABLE PRODUCTION OF CUSTOM/SEMI-CUSTOM
MOTION ASSEMBLIES
HOFFMAN’S WELL-DEVELOPED BUSINESS PROCESS FOR
MOTION SOLUTION DESIGN COMES FULL CIRCLE
In the course of this white paper we’ve provided a summary of R.M Hoffman’s well-developed process for
value-added design and development of unique, problem-solving motion control solutions. As you can see
from the infographic, we’ve come full circle. Now we are ready for production of the custom or semi-custom motion
assembly we’ve collaboratively developed to solve a specific problem. Most often, these problems are themselves
related to our customer’s production process. R.M. Hoffman supports motion-based manufacturing anywhere but
has built a strong reputation in the semiconductor, automation and medical/biotech industries.
Our Sunnyvale, CA facility has assembled literally hundreds of solutions as the direct result of the value-added
process. Typical new projects call for as few as two dozen assemblies. Some projects run into several hundred.
Depending on the availability of special components and/or the need to subcontract certain parts, customers should
allow between 12 and 18 weeks to finish production.
In most cases – owing to the precision and material strength requirements embodied in motion control – we subcon-
tract components that require machining, CNC milling and laser metal cutting. Just as our customers have learned
to place trust in us, we’ve developed strong relations with reliable vendors. At any given moment, of course, our
vendors need to slot our job into their flow.
Hoffman’s chief role during the production phase is two-fold. First, our Sunnyvale facility serves as the assembly
plant. We organize the bill of materials right here. Next, our experienced assembly techs employ quality control best
practices as they turn parts into final products.
Our production process – like yours – is governed by a design package that includes the bill of materials, drawings
and specifications. If you called upon us several years down the road to produce the same assembly again, we
retain the documentation to enable success.
Step 6: PRODUCTION
GET STARTED WITH YOUR
CUSTOM PROJECT TODAY!
CALL: 408.739.6580

RMH-Process-White-Paper-v2

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