LEAN MACHINE: OUR APPROACH

TO SUSTAINABLE ENGINEERING
 “Machine” is an unfashionable The engineers I work with at
term. It jars with the rustic Dyson today continue to solve
utopia that is the shorthand problems that others ignore.
for being ‘green’. Heavy motors that burn out.
Unwieldy handheld vacuums
that lack oomph. Hand dryers
“I’m an unabashed engineer. that leave hands wet.

I live to invent, design and

Others might label our resulting
machines as ‘eco’. But to me,
the very notion of environmental
make machines”. friendliness smacks of marketing
hype. Marginal improvements
in environmental performance
Introduction But machines and being are packaged in a green box
by James Dyson green don’t have to be at odds. and embellished with emblems
On a planet of finite resources, of nature. It over-inflates the
engineers and their inventions benefit and belittles the
surely have an important role challenges faced by Planet
to play. We are by our very Earth. Let’s be frank: an
nature problem solvers, striving ‘eco’ vac does not save the
to make things work better. Amazon rainforest.
And using energy and materials
sparingly and ingeniously is So we don’t green wash. Yet
a prerequisite of our job. here, for the first time, we’re
gathering the stories of our lean
It was this lean mindset that machines. Why? My intention is
got me hooked on engineering. that by talking about sustainable
When I discovered the flaw engineering, I will encourage
with vacuum cleaner bags – the brilliant and idealistic young
their propensity to clog and people that work with me in
lose suction – my goal was to our Research and Development
come up with something more laboratories to do more.
efficient. Not to reinvent the bag. With less.

03
 The problem with bags is
simple: as the pores quickly
clog with dust, the vacuum’s
suction plummets. So they
need to be replaced. Often.
As the dust clogs the bags,
the bags clog landfill – with
paper or non-biodegradable
polypropylene. And long
before all this, they need to be
manufactured, packaged and
shipped around the world.

When James Dyson imagined

how industrial cyclone separation
could work in a vacuum cleaner,
it wasn’t his focus to prevent
billions of tonnes of landfill
waste. It was about improving
performance – creating a
machine that wouldn’t lose
suction. But that’s where lean
engineering succeeds.

Dyson vacuums have no

consumables. Dirt is collected
in a container and emptied
straight into the dustbin. And
filters are washable throughout
their lifetime. Our newer
machines have filters that
do not need to be washed
or replaced.

Dyson has sold over 50

million vacuums to date.
Had all those machines
relied on consumables,
billions of bags would have
been needlessly laid to rest
in landfill.

Cyclonic separation is used in

industry. Inside sawmills, cyclones
remove sawdust from the air, and
in oil refineries they’re used to
separate oils and gases.

04 05
All in a day’s work Wafer thin walls
Lean machines are created by the bright young people James Dyson understood that people wanted smaller, lighter machines.
that work at Dyson. Part of a 1,600 strong team of It’s why he challenged engineers to cut wall thicknesses to the bare minimum.
engineers and scientists, including James Dyson, they There were red cheeks as fragile prototypes developed fissures but by
spend their days in laboratories in Malmesbury, Malaysia building up material only in these delicate areas, a new
and Singapore, creating and testing new inventions. generation of lightweight machines was created.
Fingerprinted access keeps non-engineers out and secrets
in. But while much of what Dyson people do is shrouded in
mystery, the question of how they do it is an open secret…
Slice a Mini in half
From day one, whether your job is in the Research Design and Development It’s function, not form, that excites Dyson design
Centre or the Customer Care team, it’s not so much about settling in, but engineers. And it’s this philosophy that the James
getting stuck in. Stuck into technology (everyone strips down and rebuilds a Dyson Foundation aims to pass on to budding Brunels through its programme
Dyson vacuum on their first day), in schools and universities. It’s also why Helen, a graduate working for the
and stuck into difficult problems. Foundation, was given a modest sum of money to
In getting stuck in, sometimes procure a Mark 1 Mini and then cut it in half to
you can come up against a brick expose its inner-workings.
wall. That’s why an experimental Experiments not experience
approach is so crucial: try things Rather than recruiting
out, fail, adapt the approach and those with the longest
try again. That’s how problems CVs, Dyson seeks out
are solved and how lean bright and enthusiastic
machines come to be. graduates and interns
Cyclonic velodrome at the start of their
The goal was to wow the people engineering careers.
of Tokyo with Dyson cyclone
technology. An enthusiastic
graduate engineer came up with the idea of a transparent velodrome to
represent the impact of the G-forces that separate dust from the air. We give them responsibility from the outset.
At Dyson, mere concepts don’t cut it, so the graduate was set to Fearless and free is what we want: that’s
work with sheets of polycarbonate and his racer bike to prove where revolutionary ideas come from.
his idea possible. Within a matter of weeks he was pedalling
furiously around his mini-velodrome in Roppongi Hills, Tokyo.
Job done and dusted.

06 07
Conventional motors The Dyson digital motor - V6
Motors are at the heart of This mini lean machine uses
Dyson machines. They perform digital pulse technology to
the important job of converting spin at up to 110,000 times
electrical energy into mechanical a minute. It is small, power-
actions. To do this well they efficient and much lighter
must be efficient, light and than conventional motors –
durable. Conventional motors weighing just 218 grams yet
are anything but. A mass generating 425 watts of power.
of big, clumsy fans, copper It is engineered to have the
windings and carbon brushes same pick-up performance
which wear out and need as a number of more energy-
replacing. They create lots hungry full-size machines.
of sparks, heat and wasted
energy. So Dyson engineers Revolution takes time and
designed a new kind of motor. investment. The patented
Dyson digital motor V6 was
seven years in development.

Why must
Since 1999, Dyson has
invested over £150 million
researching and developing

motors be big
its digital motors.

and greedy?

90% of a Dyson vacuum’s lifetime

environmental impact occurs when
it’s switched on and in use. Our
efficient motors have reduced average
floorcare energy consumption by
40% per unit since 2008.

09
A Dyson digital motor
every 6 seconds.

Robots, assemble! Even human hands with Micron accuracy Thanks to the army of lean Our digital motor factory,
Dyson Westpark, has received ISO
The compact Dyson digital their incredible dexterity are Take the job of fixing ball machines carrying out such
14001 certification for Environmental
motor V6 is crammed with high unable to carry out such an bearings in place. Only precise operations at speed, Management. Engineers continually
tech components. To ensure intricate assembly. So we a microscopic amount of our fully-automated assembly look for ways to operate more
the performance and quality, employed high speed, highly adhesive is required. Too line in Singapore is now able efficiently. For example our printed
circuit board assemblies used to
they must be assembled with efficient robots – 50 of them, much and the ball bearings to produce six million Dyson come packed individually in
absolute precision. to be exact. move out of position, digital motors a year – one electrostatic bags, producing lots
preventing smooth operation. every six seconds. of waste. Dyson engineers created
The robots use microdots reusable electrostatic trays – housing
more PCB boards and reducing
to accurately apply tiny needless landfill.
amounts of glue. This
reduces waste and helps
prevent motor failure.

10 11
 15.6g 13.9g 3.3g
CO2 per dry
CO2 per dry CO2 per dry

Waste of energy.
Waste of paper.
And a waste of time.
For years hand dryers clung So what about paper towels? A Dyson Airblade™ hand dryer
to lavatory walls, content They’re expensive and scrapes hands dry – with 430mph
to spew out expensive hot energy intensive, requiring sheets of cool air generated
air that never actually dried tree felling, mulching, by the Dyson digital motor –
one’s hands. That’s because bleaching and transportation. drying them in as little as
conventional hand dryers Then refilling, disposal and 10 seconds.
rely on evaporation – heating landfill. Even recycled paper
air which contains dirt and towels, despite claims of A dry-time of 10 seconds,
bacteria – and blowing it onto being environmentally friendly, and using cold air not heated
wet hands gradually turning are barely an improvement air, means far less energy is Dyson engineers worked with the
moisture into vapour. It’s too due to the energy expended consumed – one sixth of that Carbon Trust to develop a method to
slow – typically taking up to in reprocessing and used by the hot air dryers that assess the real environmental impact
preceded Airblade™ technology. of products through their lifecycle.
43 seconds. redistribution. From materials and manufacture,
through to distribution, use and
disposal, this robust methodology
helps engineers focus on the biggest
environmental improvements.*

12 13
Materials matter The revolution and The strength of geometry Shrinking the boundaries
The energy used when Dyson machines are switched on is by far our biggest evolution of cordless Rather than adding material Aluminium is a strong,
environmental impact. But materials are important too. Dyson cordless vacuums are for strength, Dyson engineers lightweight material, but it
the epitome of our sustainable relied upon design and relies on an energy-intensive
The less raw material we use, the less drain on resources and the less energy- engineering philosophy. geometry. For example, the extraction process. So Dyson
intensive processing required. It also means lighter, more user-friendly design. They’re lean thanks to Dyson 15-cone cyclone pack gave engineers slimmed the
motors, cyclones and cutting- engineers the chance to trim aluminium wand by 0.3mm.
When tooling suppliers told us that our plastic parts must have a certain
edge battery technology. the cross-section of cyclone They compensated for the
thickness, we took a different view: start with the bare minimum.
walls from 2mm to 0.7mm. loss of strength by creating
Then gradually build up to the requisite strength. Our latest cordless vacuums an inner plastic tube, with a
outperform many corded double-walled web design
Ultimately, durability is never sacrificed. We have a stringent testing
full-size machines – using only that minimises materials.
regime and conduct ruthless finite strength analysis.
a fraction of the energy and
materials. They also represent Overall our engineers have
a 9% reduction in weight and saved more than 20g of
materials-related carbon virgin aluminium per machine.
emissions compared to their That’s 1,769,818kg of CO2
predecessor cordless range. saved since the launch of our
first cordless vacuum in 2007.

Dyson engineers have also

given our cordless machines
a run-time enhancing trigger
– so power is only used when
actually cleaning, minimising
the electricity used.

Doing more with less.

How do we lose another 20g?

15
 First. Second.
Less material. Less energy.
Dyson engineers completely reinvented the personal fan. In the next generation of Air Multiplier™ fans, airways have
Instead of relying on rotating blades to ‘chop’ the air, they been tuned to significantly reduce turbulence. The motor
accelerated it through an annular aperture, harnessing a no longer needs to work so hard to generate the same
phenomenon known as the Coanda effect. The surrounding cooling performance – resulting in an 18% reduction in
air is drawn in and a smooth, powerful, high-velocity flow carbon emissions, as well as 75% lower noise levels.
is projected out. With no blades and grilles, there are fewer
components to manufacture and less material to ship
around the world.

16 17
 Third.
99.9%
bacteria-free. We don’t just try to get the most
out of resources and energy, we
The Dyson humidifier has patented also look for ways to apply our
Ultraviolet Cleanse™ technology – new technologies to problems
a three-minute cycle that kills bacteria, others ignore. Dyson engineers
ensuring that any mist projected is and microbiologists discovered
always 99.9% bacteria-free. that there was a problem with
existing humidifiers: either they
don’t work or they can blow
bacteria out into the air with
the moisture.

18 19
 280 counts of bacteria Hygienic
within 2 minutes humidification
of activation.

Ultrasonic humidifiers don’t treat the water Using Air Multiplier™ technology as a basis for its powerful
so any bacteria in the tank will be transmitted air distribution, Dyson engineers developed a new and hygienic
directly into the room where it can be inhaled. approach to humidifying air. Ultraviolet light is used to kill
bacteria that grow in the tank when the machine’s not in use.
Other humidifiers use a sponge filter to The water then runs into a piezo chamber, where it is exposed
evaporate moisture into the air. This sponge sits to the ultraviolet light for a second time.
inside the machine and can harbour bacteria.

20 21
And finally,
Technology you won’t find in any other robot vacuum.

a robot that
vacuums. Dyson digital motor V2
Unique 360° vision system
Combines complex mathematics,
probability theory, geometry and
trigonometry to map and
navigate the room. Radial Root Cyclone™ technology
Spins at 78,000RPM generating Flings microscopic dust and
powerful constant suction. allergens out of the air and
captures them in the clear bin.

The ultimate in lean machines: a robot that does the

job for you. But only if it works efficiently.
We’ve been working on the robot cleaner since 1999,
but it isn’t as straightforward as strapping a cyclone to
a computer. Making something that looks like it works
is easy. Making something that actually does the job is
a different matter.
Other robot vacuums have started to appear. They pootle
around your room looking purposeful. But when it comes Full-width motorised brush bar Continuous tank tracks
to the primary purpose of a vacuum cleaner – sucking up Soft carbon fibre filaments remove Help maintain speed and
fine dust from hard floors and stiff direction across all floor surfaces
dirt and dust – some other robot vacuums are guilty of the nylon bristles remove ground-in dirt and easily overcome obstacles.
ultimate inefficiency: weak suction power. And many can’t from carpets.

see the room – bouncing around at random, cleaning the Dyson Link app
Schedules cleaning programmes,
same spot over and over. diagnoses problems and controls
Dyson 360 Eye™ robot remotely.

22 23
A 360° panoramic camera builds a complete picture of the room.
To create the Dyson 360 Eye™ robot vacuum, we melded It covers each part of the room just once, so it doesn’t waste
cutting-edge robotics with our energy efficient digital motor energy going over old ground. And it’s the only robot vacuum
and battery technology. with tank tracks to help it stay on course over different surfaces.
It uses a 360° panoramic camera to build a complete We can now achieve what was impossible in 1999: a robot
picture of the room – then calculates its path using complex vacuum that cleans your home effectively and efficiently.
mathematics including probability, geometry and trigonometry.

24 27
Built to last.
We live in a throw away Materials piquing their Confident in the rigours of
world. Some manufacturers interest include carbon this test regime, we offer a
build weak products and sell nanotube technology, unique no quibble guarantee
them cheaply. After a few graphene and bioplastics. that includes parts and labour.
years, if you’re lucky, you’re And after that, there’s support
compelled to throw away the Prototypes are subjected to online, over the phone or
duff machine and buy a new months of repetitive and in person, at our American
one. It’s called ‘design for rigorous testing – a different service centres.
obsolescence’. rig for every part. During
development a Dyson vacuum All Dyson machines contain
Dyson machines are built light, will be dropped onto a hard high quality materials,
lean and durable. From design floor over 5,000 times and almost all of which can be
through to material selection, travel 1,357km on a turntable. reused and recycled. That’s
testing and after-sales service, It’ll take some 120 engineers why we operate service
our philosophy is to keep 50,000 hours and 550 tests workshops where machines
Dyson machines working. to be satisfied that it’s are refurbished and sold as
tough enough. discounted certified machines.
Dyson machines are made of
tough materials. For example, Along with mechanical testing, And to encourage end-of-life
a Dyson vacuum’s clear bin is we use robots to recreate human recycling, we offer trade-in
constructed of polycarbonate actions – one prototype will promotions – accepting
– the same material used in undergo 10,000 twists and tugs. any make of vacuum and
riot shields. offering new, more efficient
Finally, machines are exposed Dyson technology.
But engineers constantly review to real human bashing and
our material selection, scouring kicking. In the case of our
scientific breakthroughs for hand dryers, we sought to
proven benefits. replicate potential abuse from
vandals. Only by testing to
the point of failure can we
identify weak points and build
machines that last longer.
29
Lean. From source to ship to shop.
Many modern supply chains are complex and
Dyson’s is no different. In order to produce
the 26,000 machines that roll off production
lines each week, we work with several hundred
companies from all over the world. Collectively
they contribute to the Dyson technology you
see in a shop.

Some of our suppliers are multinational

manufacturers, but many are small, family run
start-ups – not dissimilar to Dyson in its early days.

As a customer, Dyson is demanding (some

would say difficult). We only want to work with
those who are as excited as us about solving
problems and creating new technology.

Our demands aren’t limited to performance

and quality. They extend to the conditions any
Dyson components are made in. As a prerequisite
of working with us, Dyson suppliers must sign up
to our stringent ethical code.

Dyson’s Corporate Social Responsibility team

works with suppliers every week to ensure that
standards are being met. If a supplier falls short
of these standards, they are given a set time
to remediate. And should they fail, we look
for another supplier who commits to meet the
ethical and environmental standards we expect.

30 31
1
Precision tooling
Great chunks of steel press molten plastic
into components. An energy and material
intensive operation is being made more
efficient through the use of hot runner
systems, reducing resin wastage. Tooling
suppliers are also developing more multi-
cavity tools, allowing for the production
of multiple parts in one mould, reducing
material and energy use.
2 3
Spray painting Efficient assembly
Painting is an energy intensive operation. With one Dyson vacuum cleaner born every
By improving the positioning of robotic arms, 3.3 seconds, assembly needs to be highly
our engineers achieved a 30 second faster efficient. Components are synchronised to
cycle time for the painting of our new Dyson arrive just in time.
Air Multiplier™ fan – as well as a decrease
in reject rates, reducing waste.
 Less cardboard Pallet free
Packaging for our latest By loading boxes directly into
cordless machines has been shipping containers, without
efficiently designed so that it the use of bulky wooden pallets,
consumes 20% less cardboard we can squeeze 30% more
than its predecessor. cordless machines into
each container.

click
OPERATING MANUAL

click

Fewer inserts
Cardboard inserts, which buffer
the machine in transit, have been
reconfigured so that the latest
cordless vacuum needs only five Ship shape
inserts (compared to eight in our The average vessel carries
previous cordless packaging). 5,000 containers, each 12
click

metres in length. If such a

vessel were dedicated solely
OPERATING MANUAL

click

to our latest cordless machines,

4,335,000 extra boxes would
be shipped thanks to lean
packaging and logistics.

Smaller boxes
More compact packaging
not only saves on raw
materials but also allows
us to fit 60% more boxes
in a shipping container.

4 5
Packaging Shipping
Unlike many manufacturers, Dyson has, As our machines get smaller and our
wherever possible, avoided using expanded packaging gets smarter, we can fit more
polystyrene due to the difficulty in recycling into a shipping container. We also load
it. Instead, our packaging engineers have directly into containers without the use of
found a way to tight-pack our machines pallets. Consequently our container use
with recycled corrugated cardboard, is up from 70% in 2005 to 97% in 2013,
minimising environmental impact. reducing transport emissions per unit.
Others look ‘green’. Ours are lean.
Just because a box is green, Dyson has never used a
or a machine is branded with vacuum motor bigger than
leaves, it doesn’t mean there’s 1,400 watts. And since 2008
anything meaningful inside. we’ve been using motors half
What counts is the technology. that power. Like in our DC24
And not just whether it’s energy and DC50 vacuums.
efficient, but also whether it
performs effectively. After Dyson was the first vacuum
all, what’s the point in low cleaner manufacturer
consumption if it takes five to campaign for lower
times longer to clean – or it motor wattage as part of
doesn’t clean at all? the European Ecodesign
legislation.
Over past decades the wattage
of European vacuum cleaners
has crept higher and higher –
often exceeding 2,000 watts.
In response to this, European
Ecodesign legislation (introduced
in 2014) places a 1,600 watt
power limit on all domestic
full-size vacuum cleaners. In
2017 this will drop to 900 watts.

2,400 watt 700 watt

38 39
What Europe’s Energy
Label doesn’t tell you.

Ratings don’t The European Commission’s Dyson machines are Dyson Cinetic™ tips ensure
highly efficient separation
reflect real use Energy Label for vacuum designed for their real life
of dust from the air
The Energy Label cleaners aims to make it easier use in the home, not for their
tests empty vacuums in for customers to identify the performance on a label. Take
laboratory conditions. ‘greenest’ and most effective the Dyson Cinetic™vacuum. We
But vacuums don’t stay
machines. However, because developed advanced cyclone
empty. Bagged vacuums
lose suction as they fill of the tests it uses and the way technology. The rubber tips
with dust, so performance they’re carried out, it fails to of 54 cyclones vibrate at high
drops. Some machines give an accurate indication of frequency to prevent clogging.
even compensate by Waste from bags efficiency or performance. The result is a machine that is
increasing power and filters is ignored so efficient at dust separation
during use. The Energy Label doesn’t
that it requires no bags and no
take into account the
environmental impact
of filters to wash and replace.
consumables. In Europe
alone, bagged vacuums
generate 126 million bags
to be disposed of each
year – by landfill
The Energy Label is or incinerator.
under judicial review
In the meantime, to find
a truly efficient vacuum,
look beyond the label.
At Dyson, efficiency goes
much further than basic
testing. It is defined by the
relentless engineering of
eachcomponent to perform
well in real life conditions.

40
Wanted.

Lean engineers
to save the world.
Engineers create practical £35 million has been invested
solutions to 21st century in this work to date. Each week,
challenges, like population, the Foundation visits schools
air pollution and health. and universities to lead design
Big challenges require workshops and give young
more engineers. people a taste of what
it means to be an engineer.
Yet with engineering and
science suffering something The Foundation also works
of an image problem, more directly with teachers,
young people are gravitating providing free resources
towards the ‘safe’ professions like an “engineering box”,
of law, medicine and finance. packed full of machines to be
Engineers risk becoming an disassembled and analysed,
endangered species. as well as ideas for lessons.
200,000 young people have
The James Dyson Foundation benefited so far.
is a registered charity that
aims to reverse this trend by
encouraging young people
to solve problems with their
hands and minds. To breed
more lean engineers.

42
The James Every year the James Dyson Foundation celebrates the most
promising student inventions with the James Dyson Award.
Dyson Award The brief is deceptively simple: “Design something that
solves a problem”. Naturally, some of the best entrants
have put sustainability centre stage.

Airdrop. Edward Linacre. (2011) MOM. James Roberts. (2014)

Airdrop was a response to the According to the World Health
huge drought gripping Australia Organisation, 75% of deaths
in 2010. Inspired by the Namib resulting from premature birth
Desert beetle which lives off could be avoided if inexpensive
the dew it collects on its back treatments were more readily
in the early mornings, Edward available across the globe.
investigated low-tech atmospheric MOM reduces this problem with
water harvesting solutions. a low cost, inflatable incubator
for use in developing countries.
And so came Airdrop.
Providing the same performance
as a £30,000 modern incubation
system, MOM costs just £250 to
manufacture, test and transport
to the desired location. James was
struck by the fact that standard
incubators are acrylic shells – they
waste energy by not insulating
properly. By designing his incubator
to be inflatable, James makes use
of a zero-cost, natural insulator: air.

Safety Net. Dan Watson. (2012) Bump Mark.

Overfishing is a global problem, Solveiga Pakstaite. (2014)
particularly when juvenile fish Best before dates are often
are caught by industrial vessels. inaccurate, leading to fresh
Safety Net proposes a solution: a food being thrown away. Bump
series of LED-illuminated rings are Mark is a solution to the problem.
fitted into the trawler net to allow The label consists of solid gelatine
young and unmarketable fish to set over a bumpy plastic sheet.
escape. They use a kinetic energy Gelatine decays at the same rate
harvesting system that ensures as protein-based foods. As the
that the lights shine brightly, gelatine decays, it becomes a
without relying on batteries. liquid and the bumps underneath
can be felt. If the label feels
smooth the food is fresh:
if there are bumps the food
has started decaying.

44 45
Lean machines The future holds some big challenges: a growing population,
pressure on resources and the natural environment. The next
of the future. generations of engineers and their ability to come up with
ingenious and efficient solutions to difficult problems will
have an important role to play.

With this in mind, James Dyson asked young Dyson engineers

for their thoughts on the challenges Dyson should tackle over
the coming years.

Kyle Gary
I am particularly interested to Everything in your home with
see how we can apply research a plug or battery is full of
into graphene to create new lean inefficiencies. I’d like to see us
machines that are not currently make entire homes more efficient
possible with present technology. – making the design, manufacture
and usage much leaner.

Chloe Kevin
We should develop batteries A major world challenge is water
that promise better efficiency conservation. We can find new
over long lifetime, creating ways to tackle this challenge.
more efficient technology and How about a waterless shower?
leading to more advances in
design and engineering.

46 47
*In collaboration with the Carbon Trust, Dyson has produced
a method to measure the environmental impact of electrical
appliances and paper towels. The carbon calculations were
produced using GaBi software provided by PE International,
based on product use over 5 years and using the US as a
representative country of use. Dry times for products were
evaluated using DTM 769 to 0.149g of residual moisture.

JN.70488 16.02.15

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