End-of-Life-Based Negotiation Throughout the Design Process

The aim of this paper is to suggest a methodology to accommodate a preferred end-of-life scenario in the early phases of a product. Life-cycle engineering and DFE methods have tried to improve design from an environmental point of view. But they failed to provide product designers with both levers on usable product characteristics and strategic objectives. The situation-based approach proposed focuses on negotiation of end-of-life strategies and their impact on product characteristics throughout the product development phase. It is based on the way negotiation between product engineer and end-of-life strategy engineer can be prepared, then performed and controlled.     

基于可适应产品平台的产品族配置方法研究

为更好地快速应对市场的多样化需求,引入可适应产品平台的概念,在分析电力液压块式制动器特点的基础上,提出了基于可适应产品平台的产品族配置方法。以公理设计为指导框架,进行电力液压块式制动器功能要求-设计参数的映射,建立其公理设计矩阵,构建设计关联矩阵并对其进行关联度分析,确定设计参数在产品平台中的共享策略,实现了快速响应用户需求的产品配置。     

Design in the New e-Commerce Era

The computing and communication have become indispensable in every aspect of design and manufacturing. Its impacts on production engineering community have been significant and long lasting. In this paper, we reviewed new e-Commerce models that directly link among production capabilities and with end consumers. We then identified three major forces that will affect the design community, namely, speed of decision, expansion of scope and degree of concurrency. Understanding the implication of these forces would be conducive to leading structural changes in design. The transformations include expanding the scope of design, linking customers and suppliers proactively throughout the entire value chain, and collaborating across boundaries.     

An Approach to Life Cycle Oriented Technical Service Design

The importance of technical, i.e. product related services has significantly increased over the past years. Traditionally, technical services are provided during product usage. In light of the potential impact of technical services on the entire product life cycle, the application of life cycle engineering techniques to service design is suggested. Consequently, the presented research work aims at developing a service design process. Based on three main strategies for combining products with related services, a corresponding design process is proposed. It simultaneously considers the product, process and information dimensions of services.     

Pro-active Life Cycle Engineering Support Tools

The extending responsibility of manufacturers regarding their products' environmental impact has led to the development of a wide range of Life Cycle Engineering tools and techniques. However, their efficiency has yet been limited by the need for detailed input data, typically unavailable in the early conceptual phases of design, when most far-reaching improvements can be achieved. This problem particularly holds true in a design environment of one-of-a-kind products, such as in many automation and machine design projects, where no previous generation products are available to provide the required analysis feedback. This paper presents a set of pro-active support tools that are specifically developed for the early design phases and cover the analytical as well as the creative steps of design. On the one hand, Eco-Cost Estimation Relationships form the core of the Eco-PaS system, which estimates the technical parameters, needed as input for most assessment tools, as a function of the functional parameters available in the concept development phase. On the other hand, the Ecodesign Knowledge System classifies both knowledge and user situations according to a common set of domain models in order to supply, at any time, adequate Life Cycle Engineering guidance, tailored to the specific user situation.     

Design for mass personalization

With pervasive connectivity of the Internet, personalization has become increasingly accepted for digital products. As opposed to customization, which emphasizes on meetings explicit requirements of defined market segments, personalization aims at effectively and efficiently satisfying individual needs. By considering customers as individuals, implicit characteristics such as personal taste, traits, innate needs and experience become important integral parts of product design. This new dimension for design opens up many new research issues. Design for mass personalization (DFMP) aims at effectively and efficiently satisfying customers as individuals by offering personally unique products with positive user experience. To this end, design is approached through the formulation of a product ecosystem based on a design platform and active customer participation.     

Integrated Design Analysis for Product Simplification

A systematic methodology is presented for product structure simplification through an integration of Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) with the Theory of Invention Problem Solving (TRIZ). A new functional model is combined with a selection of TRIZ problem solving tools that are identified as effective in product structure simplification. DFMA analysis is used to evaluate alternative concepts. Application of the combined approach is illustrated through a case study of a heavy duty stapler.     

Knowledge Brokering for Assisting the Generation of Automotive Product Design

The aim of this paper is to present a pragmatic model for the systematic transfer of ideas and knowledge at the early stage of product design in a company environment. In using the model, the basic premise is not to build a new product ‘from scratch’ but to reuse existing ideas and knowledge from other objects and products developed previously. This new approach is called Knowledge Brokering (KB).The developed KB model consists of four sequential steps, which cover the collection and clustering of explicit design knowledge, the systematic learning process, retention and transfer of tacit design knowledge. The premises for using the KB model and case study results from the automotive industry on the advantages and limitations of the new approach are also described.     

Design Reuse Methodology for Product Family Design

This paper presents a design reuse methodology to facilitate product family design. Three major processes are defined, namely, information modelling, information processing, and solution synthesis and evaluation. The information content assessment (ICA) method is proposed for solution evaluation. This method defines logical steps to compute the information content that is used as a uniform, dimensionless metric of product performances. In a case study, product families of the cellular phone were developed using the design reuse methodology. It is demonstrated that the design reuse method proposed in this paper can effectively manage the product family design processes, and the ICA method provides a useful way for performance evaluation.     

Life Cycle-Based Service Design for Innovative Business Models

A successful service business requires a new life cycle-based approach with a comprehensive view of the real customer's demands. This includes the establishment of innovative business models. These business models cover the fields of planning, finance, ramp up, revamping, take back as well as a guarantee for the availability to supply maintenance and repair. The latter can finally lead to the operation of the machine itself in a performance-contracting model. Business models will also offer an excellent way to develop ecological potentials while fulfilling economical constraints. This was the background for a research project to analyze the machine-oriented service development with the goal of standardization, rationalization, and automation of life cycle-oriented service processes. Therefore, a service configurator was developed for the efficient supply of customer-based services. The configurator will also consider the suppliers of the machine manufacturer. The results were evaluated in an industrial environment with the help of an innovative business model.     

Improving the requirements process in Axiomatic Design Theory

This paper introduces a model to integrate the traditional requirements process into Axiomatic Design Theory and proposes a method to structure the requirements process. The method includes a requirements classification system to ensure that all requirements information can be included in the Axiomatic Design process, a stakeholder classification system to reduce the chances of excluding one or more key stakeholders, and a table to visualize the mapping between the stakeholders and their requirements.     

Augmented Reality Aided Assembly Design and Planning

This paper presents a methodology that integrates the assembly Product Design and Planning (PDP) activities with the Workplace Design and Planning (WDP) activities to improve the efficiency and quality of assembly design and planning at the early design stage. This methodology is implemented in an augmented reality (AR) assembly environment, where engineers can design and plan a product assembly and its assembly sequence through manipulating virtual prototypes in a real assembly workplace. In this AR environment, WDP information are fed back to the designers and engineers in real-time to aid them in making better decisions in assembly design and planning.     

产品设计的相似性模型

首先分析了产品设计过程,将其分为原理设计、结构设计和工艺设计3个阶段。产品的相似性体现在产品原理的相似性、结构的相似性、工艺设计的相似性与设计手段的相似性,在此基础上提出了产品设计的相似性模型,用相似性分析可以丰富产品设计的方法,缩短产品设计周期,拓宽产品设计的思路。     

A Risk Mitigation Methodology for New Product and Process Design in Concurrent Engineering Projects

Based on earlier work on risk quantification, a new risk mitigation methodology is developed for new product and process design in concurrent engineering projects. First the most prominent risks in the product life cycle are identified and quantified. Then five computational algorithms are developed and used to find feasible solutions for mitigating these risks: Least-Cost-First, Highest-Risk-First, Minimum-Cost-Risk-Ratio- First, Random-Search and a Genetic Algorithm. Based on the available mitigation budget and strategic objectives of the project the best mitigation strategy is then recommended to the project managers. Actual financial outcomes of an industry project were used to successfully validate the methodology.     

A Design Method for Product Family under Manufacturing Resource Constraints

Product variety is required for satisfying customer needs, and at the same time, efficient usage of manufacturing resources is mandatory for competitive and environmentally conscious manufacturing. For coping with these requirements, product family concept is effective, which enables variety of products based on well designed similar product property with associated manufacturing processes. In this study, a modeling framework for relationship between product functionality and manufacturing resources is discussed. Based on this framework, a design method is investigated for product family structure which realizes required product functional variety with efficient utilization of manufacturing resources. Application examples are discussed for automotive components.     

Design for Environment — Do We Get the Focus Right?

Sometimes, products resulting from design for environment (DFE) endeavours are sub-optimisations from an environmental perspective, because the tool determines the process and not vice versa. For a more systematic way of getting the focus right a hierarchy of focusing is introduced:1. What is the function provided and what is the optimal way of providing it while making a business out of it? Which product should the company then produce?2. Where are the “environmental hot spots” in the life cycle of this product?3. Which DFE tool supports optimisation of the product by reducing these hot spots?     

Approximate Product Life Cycle Costing Method for the Conceptual Product Design

Although the product life cycle cost (LCC) is mainly committed by early design stages, designers do not consider the costs caused in subsequent phases of life cycle. The estimating method for the product life cycle cost in early design processes has been required because of both the lack of detailed information and time for a detailed LCC for a various range of design concepts. This paper suggests an approximate LCC method that allows the designer to make comparative LCC estimation between the different product concepts. The product attributes at the conceptual design phase and LCC factors are introduced and the significant product attributes are determined by statistical analysis. Neural network algorithms are applied to estimate LCC by considering the identified product attributes as inputs and the LCC as output. Trained learning algorithms for the known characteristics of existing products will quickly give the estimation of LCC for new product concepts. The estimation for maintenance and energy costs of electronic appliances is shown as an example. The proposed method provides the good estimation for the LCC and gives the guidelines leading to cost-effective design decision-making at the early design stage.     

Maintenance: Changing Role in Life Cycle Management

As attention to environmental problems grows, product life cycle management is becoming a crucial issue in realizing a sustainable society. Our objective is to provide the functions necessary for such a society while minimizing material and energy consumption. From this viewpoint, we should redefine the role of maintenance as a prime method for life cycle management. In this paper, we first discuss the changing role of maintenance from the perspective of life cycle management. Then, we present a maintenance framework that shows management cycles of maintenance activities during the product life cycle. According to this framework, we identify technical issues of maintenance and discuss the advances of technologies supporting the change in the role of maintenance.     

从产品的绿色设计到可持续发展设计

介绍了绿色设计及其发展的必然趋势。阐述了实现可持续发展设计的关键内容,指出开展可持续发展设计的关键技术研究以及工具软件的开发是十分必要的。     

绿色适应性设计研究

如何在产品设计初始阶段系统考虑产品及设计的环境性、适应性、重用性,通过产品功能拓展、升级换代、寿命延长、适应性变型,充分再利用产品资源及设计信息资源来实现绿色设计/绿色制造,目前仍然缺少系统、实用的方法和支持工具;论文针对这一问题提出绿色适应性设计研究,并给出了绿色适应性设计的主要研究内容及其关键技术,指出绿色适应性设计是对现有绿色设计理论方法的进一步补充、完善和具体化,对解决目前绿色设计方法在应用过程中所面临缺乏明确、实用指导的问题具有重要意义。