scholarly journals A New Method to Assess Platform Changes Over Successive Generations of Product Variants from Multiple Design Perspectives

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 2931-2940 ◽  
Author(s):  
Foo Shing Wong ◽  
David C. Wynn
Keyword(s):  
Product Family ◽  
New Method ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
Product Platform ◽  
Platform Design ◽  
Assembly Time ◽  
New Variant ◽  
Successive Generations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Family Evaluation

AbstractThis paper introduces a new method to help designers assess the impact of changes to a product platform when introducing a new variant. The method evaluates a platform design by investigating how changing some components will impact other platform design perspectives such as material, function, manufacturing processes and assembly time. To assess the usefulness of this method, it was applied to assess platform changes resulting from successive generations of scanner heads from two manufacturers. The method indicated that one manufacturer improved their scanner head design by improving the functionality of its components and assembly time. Whereas, the other manufacturer's new scanner head used more material and manufacturing processes without benefiting other design perspectives. Compared to existing product family evaluation methods which focus only on maximising commonality between product variants, the proposed method considers potential platform design improvements and assesses them from multiple design perspectives before deciding on reusing existing components or implementing the new design. The information from this method will also complement existing commonality indices.

A Tool to Integrate Design for Assembly During Product Platform Design

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amar Pandit ◽  
Zahed Siddique
Keyword(s):  
Product Family ◽  
Product Platform ◽  
Design For Assembly ◽  
Design And Development ◽  
Single Product ◽  
Entire Family ◽  
Platform Design ◽  
Product Families ◽  
Integrate Design

To survive in the current market, many companies are moving toward design and development of product families using a platform approach. To effectively develop a family of products, companies have to consider both component and assembly perspectives. The assembly perspective has many issues associated with it for developing common platforms, which includes assemblability evaluation for the entire family. Application of Design for Assembly techniques to evaluate product family will require modifications to the current single product DFA method. In this paper a product family DFA tool and guidelines are presented. The application of this product family DFA tool is illustrated using Walkman® and Coffeemaker product family.

Evaluation of Product Family Architectures From Multiple Perspectives

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zahed Siddique ◽  
Rajeshwar Reddy Adupala
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Product Family ◽  
Product Variety ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Product Platform ◽  
Assembly Sequence ◽  
Multiple Perspectives ◽  
Computer Mouse ◽  
Manufacturing Complexity ◽  
Family Evaluation

Specifying components in a product platform and family architecture to support product varieties can be a challenging task for companies. Especially when various viewpoints have to be considered, which include product variety, materials, manufacturing complexity, assembly complexity, average component count commonality, assembly sequence, and late point differentiation. In order to identify or select a product platform and family configuration, evaluation of alternative configurations need to be performed. In this paper several product family evaluation criteria are presented for configuration evaluation. The application of product family configuration evaluation and a design approach is demonstrated using a Computer Mouse family.

Design of Hierarchic Platforms for Customizable Products

2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel Hernandez ◽  
Janet K. Allen ◽  
Farrokh Mistree
Keyword(s):  
Product Family ◽  
Product Performance ◽  
Product Platform ◽  
Electric Motors ◽  
Product Platforms ◽  
Individual Product ◽  
Geometric Space ◽  
Multiple Levels ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Levels

The objective in product platform design is to synthesize a set of components that will be shared by a number of product variants considering potential sacrifices in individual product performance that result from parts sharing. A good platform strategy should allow us to specify different levels of commonality for the various features and components of the product family in order to reduce the impact of commonality on performance. In this paper, we formulate the design of platforms for customizable products as a problem of optimization of access in a geometric space. This approach allows us to develop systematically hierarchic product platforms with multiple levels of commonality. We illustrate the proposed approach with a case example: the design of a product platform for a line of customizable electric motors.

A Cost Model for Optimal Design of Hierarchic Product Platform under Coupled Architecture

2012 ◽  
Vol 452-453 ◽  
pp. 516-520
Author(s):  
Yan Ling Cai ◽  
Zhen Hua Cui
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Design ◽  
Cost Model ◽  
Product Family ◽  
Product Platform ◽  
Product Family Design ◽  
Flexible Design ◽  
Platform Design ◽  
Cost Drivers ◽  
Difficult Decision

Product platform design is essentially a difficult decision to make, thus a hierarchic platform has been proposed to solve the inherent tradeoff for optimization. However, architecture coupling adds on complexity of the platform design. This paper proposes an improved cost model for the optimal design of platform design in the hierarchic manner with the consideration of the architecture coupling. This cost model uniquely treats the architecture couplings and their decoupling interfaces as latent cost drivers to enable the flexible design of product platform and its family. As a support, the underlying tradeoff mechanism of platform-based product family design is also analyzed in this paper.

Product Platform Design Through Sensitivity Analysis and Cluster Analysis

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhihuang Dai ◽  
Michael J. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Cluster Analysis ◽  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Product Family ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Product Platform ◽  
Platform Design ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Efficiency Cost ◽  
And Cluster Analysis

Product platform design plays a vital role in determining two important aspects of a products family: efficiency (cost savings due to commonality) and effectiveness (capability to satisfy performance requirements). In this work, sensitivity analysis and cluster analysis are used to improve both efficiency and effectiveness of a product family design. A strategy of commonization is employed to form a platform. An illustrative example is used to demonstrate the merits of the proposed method, and the results are compared with existing results from the literature.

Application of Cloud Counting in Product Platform Design Services Research

2014 ◽  
Vol 513-517 ◽  
pp. 1765-1768
Author(s):  
Dan Dan He ◽  
Fang Qin ◽  
Can Wang
Keyword(s):  
Cloud Computing ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Product Family ◽  
Product Platform ◽  
Cloud Data Center ◽  
Services Research ◽  
Service Architecture ◽  
Platform Design ◽  
Cloud Data ◽  
Development Costs

Product platform is a key theory in mass customization method, and it can satisfy diversely customer needs at high efficiency service and reduce enterprise product development costs. This dissertation explores the product platform development routing and design ability service and resources virtualization and other key technologies in the migration process of product platform to cloud platform in the background of computing clouds technology and product platform theory. It proposes the product platform design service architecture based on cloud computing and its design service modes and the related key technology to the study, including product platform resources virtualization in cloud computing environment and product family design ability services technology and product platform cloud data center retrieval technology, etc.

Product Platform Design and Optimization: Status and Promise

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy W. Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Design Research ◽  
Product Family ◽  
Optimization Techniques ◽  
Lead Times ◽  
Product Platform ◽  
Research Activity ◽  
Global Marketplace ◽  
Platform Design ◽  
Product Families ◽  
Design And Optimization

In an effort to improve customization for today’s highly competitive global marketplace, many companies are utilizing product families to increase variety, shorten lead-times, and reduce costs. The key to a successful product family is the product platform from which it is derived either by adding, removing, or substituting one or more modules to the platform or by scaling the platform in one or more dimensions to target specific market niches. This nascent field of engineering design research has matured rapidly in the past decade, and this paper provides an extensive review of the research activity that has occurred during that time to facilitate product platform design and optimization. Techniques for identifying platform leveraging strategies within a product family are reviewed along with optimization-based approaches to help automate the design of a product platform and its corresponding family of products. Examples from both industry and academia are presented throughout the paper to highlight the benefits of platform-based product development, and the paper concludes with a discussion of promising research directions to help bridge the gap between planning and managing families of products and designing and manufacturing them.

Identification of Platform Variables in Product Family Design Using Sensitivity Analysis

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad Hume ◽  
David W. Rosen
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity Analysis ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Product Family ◽  
Product Variety ◽  
Product Performance ◽  
Constructal Theory ◽  
Product Platform ◽  
Product Family Design ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Selection Of

Product family design strategies based on a common core platform have emerged as an efficient and effective means of providing product variety. The main goal in product platform design is to maximize internal commonality within the family while managing the inherent loss in product performance. Therefore, identification and selection of platform variables is a key aspect when designing a family of products. Based on previous research, the Product Platform Constructal Theory Method (PPCTM) provides a systematic approach for developing customizable products, while allowing for multiple levels of commonality, multiple product specifications, and balancing the tradeoffs between commonality and performance. However, selection of platform variables and the modes for managing product variety are not guided by a systematic process in this method. When developing a platform with more than a few variables, a quantitative method is needed for selecting the optimal platform variable hierarchy. In this paper we present an augmented PPCTM which includes sensitivity analysis of platform variables, such that hierarchical rank is conducted based on the impact of the variables on the product performance. This method is applied to the design of a line of customizable finger pumps.

Global Views on Modular Design Research: Linking Alternative Methods to Support Modular Product Family Concept Development

2016 ◽  
Vol 138 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Otto ◽  
Katja Hölttä-Otto ◽  
Timothy W. Simpson ◽  
Dieter Krause ◽  
Sebastian Ripperda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Design Research ◽  
Modular Design ◽  
Product Family ◽  
Concept Development ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Product Platform ◽  
Platform Design ◽  
Product Platforms ◽  
Modular Product ◽  
Generic Set

Modular product platforms have been shown to provide substantial cost and time savings while still allowing companies to offer a variety of products. As a result, a multitude of product platform methods have been developed over the last decade within the design research community. However, comparison and integration of suitable methods is difficult since the methods have, for the most part, been developed in isolation from one another. In reviewing the literature in modularity and product platforms, we create a generic set of 13 platform design steps for developing a platform concept. We then examine a set of product platform concept development processes used at several different companies, and from this form a generic sequence of the steps. We then associate the various developed methods to the sequence, thereby enabling the chaining together of the various modular and platform design methods developed by the community.

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