Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing


Centre for Product Design and Manufacturing is a design and manufacturing school in India, established in 1996 at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. It offers Master of Design degree in Product Design and Engineering, in Smart Manufacturing, M.Tech. in Product Design and Engineering, M.Tech. in Advanced Manufacturing, and Ph.D programmes in Product Design and Engineering as well as in Advanced Manufacturing.
CPDM initiated India's first PhD programme in Design, India's first Design Observatory , India's first International Research Conference in Design , India's first , and the International Conference on . CPDM is among the top three design schools in India. Offered uninterrupted since 1963, Creative Engineering Design, a course on 'Design Thinking and Methodology' offered at CPDM, is one of the longest running courses of this kind in the world. Since 2019, CPDM initiated an International Conference on Industry 4.0 and Advanced Manufacturing .

Vision and Mission

As described in its website, the of CPDM is to seek "excellence in education, research and practice" in design and manufacturing in order to aid "development of systemically-complex, technologically-intensive and socially-impactful solutions that are functional, aesthetic, usable and sustainable."
This vision is intended to be attained by its , which is to "Develop professionals" who can design appropriate products and manufacturing systems; "Create leaders" who can empower current, and develop new design and manufacturing practices; "Develop products and manufacturing systems" with major social impact; and "Develop knowledge" with which the "practice and education of design and manufacturing" can be informed and improved.

Admission

Eligibility for admission to the M.Des. programme is a degree either in engineering or architecture. Selection for admission is based on performance in a Design Aptitude Test and interview conducted at the centre. Shortlisting for DAT is done on the basis of an applicant's CEED or GATE score.The DAT / interview will test the engineering knowledge; spatial, creative, and analytical thinking ability; aesthetic sensitivity and communicating ability; and the overall aptitude for the design and the suitability of the candidate for the programme.
For M.Tech. in Smart Manufacturing, all candidates with a bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent and with a valid GATE score are eligible to apply. Selection is based on GATE score and performance in an interview conducted at CPDM. The interview tests engineering knowledge, abstract and analytical thinking ability, communication ability, and overall aptitude for smart manufacturing.
Research students are selected thorough a stringent procedure consisting of a written exam and an extensive interview, in order to determine their individual ability and motivation.

Courses offered

M.Des. in Product Design and Engineering
The two year M.Des programme is spread over four semesters and two summer terms, covering courses dealing with engineering, aesthetics, ergonomics, materials, manufacturing, design methodology, CAD, CAE, marketing etc.Candidates with a bachelor's degree in Engineering / Architecture and with a valid GATE / CEED score are eligible to apply. Selection is based on the performance in the Design Aptitude Test followed by an interview conducted at the centre.
M.Tech. in Smart Manufacturing
The two year M.Tech. programme is spread over four semesters and two summer terms, covering courses and projects in materials, processes, digital manufacturing, design methodology, CAD, PLM, sensors, mechatronics, AI, analytics, machine learning, operations management, etc. Candidates with a bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent and with a valid GATE score are eligible to apply. Selection is based on GATE score and performance in an interview conducted at the centre. The interview tests engineering knowledge, abstract and analytical thinking ability, communication ability, and overall aptitude for smart manufacturing.
Research programme both at M.Tech. and Ph.D levels
Ph.D. at IISc generally requires three and half years of extensive in-depth research. A Ph.D. student is expected to contribute a major break through in design philosophy or understanding of design. M.Tech. is generally a two years research course. M.Tech. students are required to enroll more number of courses compared to Ph.D. students. M.Tech. course is a perfect blend of course work and research, thus providing them with freedom to take up either doctoral research or to be a part of a company where both research, design or manufacturing is essential. A research student can select a research topic from a gamut of research areas.
Students can join research in two broad areas, as follows. In product design and engineering, their research aims to make major contributions in philosophy, understanding or enhancement of the state of the art in advanced design and engineering, including ideation, creativity, PLM, medical diagnostics, human factors, product and process informatics, virtual/augmented reality, engineering safety, and sustainability. In advanced manufacturing, the research topics include materials and processes, digital manufacturing, manufacturing supply chains, sustainable manufacturing, Industry 4.0, controls/autonomous systems and robotics, and policy and entrepreneurship in manufacturing.

Faculty

There are 10 core faculty members and 5 associate faculty members, who are supported by technical staff and workshop personnel in their educational, consultancy and research projects. The faculty at CPDM comes from backgrounds like mechanical engineering, materials engineering, civil engineering, chemical engineering, architecture, computer science, electronics, design research, computer aided design, automotive engineering, biomedical engineering, ergonomics, materials science, industrial design, and sustainability.
Core Faculty
Associate Faculty
Retired Faculty
is the Annual Design Show organised by CPDM, IISc. Ripples showcases the works of design and research students, which addresses the real needs of people. In addition to the exhibition, various design competitions, workshops, and talks by eminent speakers and experienced professionals from industry and academia are conducted. The three day design show attracts thousands of people—students, aspirants and professionals from the industry and all walks of society.