An engineering feasibility study answers the questions that should be settled before anyone designs or builds a system: can it be done, how well, at what cost and with what risk? For industrial and scientific systems, it is the cheapest point at which to discover that a defect can’t be seen, a part can’t be handled at speed or a measurement is noisier than expected. This article covers what a technical feasibility study includes, what it should produce and when you need one.
What a feasibility study answers
| Question | Examples |
|---|---|
| Technical | Can the defect be detected? Can the part be handled at this rate? Is the signal measurable above the noise? |
| Performance | What accuracy, speed and repeatability are realistic? |
| Practical | Does it fit the space, the line, the environment and the operators? |
| Economic | What will it cost to build and run, and what will it save? |
| Risk | What could stop the project, and how can that be tested early? |
Technical feasibility vs other kinds of feasibility
Business feasibility studies look at markets, finance and operations. Technical feasibility asks whether the engineering can work. For a new inspection, counting, test or measurement system, it is usually the deciding question, because if the physics or the handling doesn’t work, nothing else matters.
How a technical feasibility study is done
Testing on real samples is the heart of it. For inspection projects, Sciotex tests customers’ sample parts free of charge to determine the right system configuration.
What a good feasibility study produces
- Measured results from real samples, not assumptions
- A clear statement of what is and isn’t achievable
- A list of the remaining risks and how to reduce them
- A concept design and a recommended next stage
- A go or no-go recommendation with the evidence behind it
When you need one
- The application has never been automated, or not this way
- Success depends on detecting or measuring something small, fast or subtle
- Several approaches are possible and the best one isn’t obvious
- The investment is large enough that failure would be costly
- Stakeholders need evidence before approving a budget
A feasibility study is usually the first gate in prototype development, taking a project to roughly TRL 3 on the technology readiness scale.
Frequently asked questions
A short, focused study that determines whether a system can be built to meet its requirements, how well it will perform, what it will cost and what the main risks are, before full design begins.
Whether the engineering can work: whether the required sensing, handling, measurement or control is achievable at the needed speed and accuracy in the real environment.
Requirements, tests on real samples, a concept design, a risk list, a rough budget and schedule, and a go or no-go recommendation.
Real parts and materials vary in ways specifications don’t capture. Testing them early shows what will actually work before money is spent on a full system.
