Although break-in is important in products, only the aspect of run-in is considered in mechanical products. But we feel happy when our shoes come to fit us. We feel happy, too, if our products come to fit us in our operating conditions and work very well as we expect and meet not only our needs but also our preferences.
Further, if our products come to fit us very well, we feel attached to them and will use them longer. Such emotional break-in has seldom been considered in mechanical design.
If a product or a machine degrades and does not satisfy its design requirements, it will be restored to its original design level. This is considered to be the most important task of maintenance.
But break-in is associated with the phenomenon of degradation. If we can manage our degradation more intelligently, we would feel happier because we feel the product or the machine is breaking in to our needs and to our preferences.
This is a position paper to discuss this issue.
