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Configurable product design considering the transition of multi-hierarchical models

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Abstract

The current research of configurable product design mainly focuses on how to convert a predefined set of components into a valid set of product structures. With the scale and complexity of configurable products increasing, the interdependencies between customer demands and product structures grow up as well. The result is that existing product structures fails to satisfy the individual customer requirements and hence product variants are needed. This paper is aimed to build a bridge between customer demands and product structures in order to make demand-driven fast response design feasible. First of all, multi-hierarchical models of configurable product design are established with customer demand model, technical requirement model and product structure model. Then, the transition of multi-hierarchical models among customer demand model, technical requirement model and product structure model is solved with fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) and the algorithm of multi-level matching. Finally, optimal structure according to the customer demands is obtained with the calculation of Euclidean distance and similarity of some cases. In practice, the configuration design of a clamping unit of injection molding machine successfully performs an optimal search strategy for the product variants with reasonable satisfaction to individual customer demands. The proposed method can automatically generate a configuration design with better alternatives for each product structures, and shorten the time of finding the configuration of a product.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Lab of Fluid Power Transmission and Control, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China

    Bin Ren, Lemiao Qiu, Shuyou Zhang, Jianrong Tan & Jin Cheng

Authors
  1. Bin Ren
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  2. Lemiao Qiu
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  3. Shuyou Zhang
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  4. Jianrong Tan
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  5. Jin Cheng
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lemiao Qiu.

Additional information

This project is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos. 51205350, 51275459), National Science and Technology Major Project of China (Grant No. 2012ZX04010-011), and Postdoctoral Research Foundation of Zhejiang Province(Grant No. Bsh1201019)

REN Bin, born in 1981, is currently a post-doctor at Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, China. She received her PhD degree from Zhejiang University, China, in 2010. Her research interests include product digital design and virtual prototype simulation.

QIU Lemiao, born in 1977, is currently a lecturer at Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, China. He received his PhD degree from Zhejiang University, China, in 2008. His research interests include mass customization and computer integrated manufacturing system.

ZHANG Shuyou, born in 1963, is currently a distinguished professor and a PhD supervisor at Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, China. His research interests include computer graphics, CAD, virtual reality and manufacturing information.

TAN Jianrong, born in 1954, is an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering at Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, China. His main research interests include virtual prototyping, enterprise informatization, CAX and robotics.

CHENG Jin, born in 1978, is currently an associate professor at Department of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, China. Her research interests include intelligent design of complex products, CAE for plastic injection molding, and visualization of nonlinear dynamics.

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Ren, B., Qiu, L., Zhang, S. et al. Configurable product design considering the transition of multi-hierarchical models. Chin. J. Mech. Eng. 26, 217–224 (2013). https://doi.org/10.3901/CJME.2013.02.217

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3901/CJME.2013.02.217

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