Papers by Keyword: Product Family Architecture

Abstract: In order to solute the problems of selection and improvement of parts when the product family architecture to adapt to the diverse needs, the selection method of parts in product family evolution was proposed herein. The part’s performance and the Matching degree of demand characteristics were analyzed. The parts CSM model in product family was defined and established, the clustering method based on fuzzy C-means (FCM) for parts was used in CSM coupling space of parts. Finally, the wheel loader’s manipulator product family as an example was employed to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method.

Abstract: Product family architecture (PFA) need to keep the dynamic evolution, in order to meet the changing needs of customers and effectively support the mass customization. This paper puts forward the theory of PFA dynamic evolution based on structure semantic unit. The variation of PFA is mainly caused by the changes in component. In the process of evolution, some components of the architecture need to be removed, replaced or added. For this purpose, the concepts of structure semantic and structure semantic unit were proposed. The structure semantic unit is the combination of assembly relationship, assembly constraint, and geometric information of related dimension and the model of components. The corresponding operations (remove, replace or add) of component is ascertained by consumption analysis of part and similarity calculation between structure semantic units.

Abstract: Aiming at selecting appropriate parts in the product family architecture for innovating, a method for part analysis and selection in the renewal process of product family architecture is initially proposed. On the basis of parts analysis from the three aspects of cost effectiveness-commonality, performance sensitivity and demand-matching degree, a coupling spatial model CSM is established. With the fuzzy c-means clustering method, the parts were clustered, and the choice domain and the improvement direction were pointed out. Finally, a case study of part analysis and selection in the working device product family of the wheel loader was presented to illustrate the validity of the method.

Abstract: In terms of transforming supply chain into integrated value systems, the benefits of Early Supplier Involvement (ESI) in product development have been widely accepted. As far as variety management and online configuration are concerned, the difficulties of ESI in online mass customization manifest themselves through two main aspects: (1) Support the seamless information integration with respect to its high variety and large volume not only among internal functions but also with external suppliers; (2) Support real-time online configuration for product configuration generation and optimization based on customer requirements and supplier capabilities. Accordingly, this work proposes two potential solutions. PFA-based integrated information model is established to synchronize the PFA generic structure and supplier product information.