Research On Key Technologies Of Product Family Design For Mass Customization

As a main manufacturing mode in 21 century,MC(Mass Customization)is an effective method to solve the difficulties how to produce personal products using mass production method which companies have confronted now.One of the key activities in the application in MC is DFMC(Design for Mass Customization),wherein PFD (Product Family Design)is of critically significant.However,the power of PFD has not been fully released due to lack of systematic theories and tools,which has already become the bottleneck of implementing DFMC and MC.In this study,based on the synthesis and refining of relevant researches at home and abroad,main efforts have been made on the methodology and key technologies of PFD,based on the strategy of "Theory-Technology-Software Development-Engineering Application".Methodology of PFD was proposed systematically and relevant ideas,scientific problems,theoretical basis and frame were also discussed deeply.It provides theoretical support for application of PFD,which combines PFD theory,technology and application together as a whole system.Focusing on customization problem in PFD,Multi-Constrained Module Partition Approach(MCMPA)of PFD for MC was proposed within which the customized information is introduced.Combined with product structure,function and customer demand,the criteria for MCMPA was proposed,and three correlation matrixes were built based on product customization correlation,function correlation and structure correlation,respectively.The weights of customization,function and structure are determined with AHP method,through which the comprehensive degree of correlations between two arbitrary parts may be further determined.According to the comprehensive degree of correlations and threshold value of modular partition,the approach for module partition is formed.The MCMPA was applied on the working equipment of loader.It is proved that,taking the correlation of customization,correlation of function and that of structure as initial conditions,the qualitative analysis of module partition was transformed into quantitative calculation and its efficiency and rationality was improved. The partitioned module has the features of customization,independence of structure and independence of function,which can be more suitable for PFD for MC.With the parallel incorporation of product structure,function and customization,the cross-domain coupling space identification approach for product common platform was proposed.The rules and models for identification were constructed and the concept of equivalent distance was presented.By virtue of graph theory and matrix theory,various identification models of product common platform were set up,such as structure-domain undirected graph model,function-domain directed graph model and customization-domain vector table model.When the parts are mapped into the points in space,the identification of common platform can be achieved through the distance from these points to original point.It makes the identification quantitative and unified in cross-domain coupling space.Through the application of wheel loader,it is verified that the approach for identification of product common platform,multi-constraint coupling space model and multi-constraints coupling matrix are effective on cross-domain identification of product common platform.In view of the description of information from product,customization and enterprise resource,the Undirected Graph Model for Product Family Architecture (UGMPFA)was built.The product common platform,customization module and their configuration relationship were taken as main elements,and two kinds of vertexes and three kinds of edges were defined.The UGMPFA was built based on the information integration of customization,product and enterprise resource.Moreover,the algorithm flow of product customization was proposed by UGMPFA.The UGMPFA was applied in wheel loader analysis as an example.It is verified that UGMPFA can appropriately describe company's production capacity,individualized customer demand,product's variation capacity,similarity between series of products and knowledge in customization without increasing redundant information,which can make full use of enterprise resource and quickly respond to customer demand.To develop the assistant tools for PFD,the techniques for the PFD system was studied based on combination of CAD and PFD with the foundation of methodology of PFD,.CAD system is used as the platform of system development tool,and UGMPFA acts as the bridges of information communication and integration.The information was managed through inner database in CAD and outer database.The information of customization was transformed,transmitted and mapped into parts,modules and common platforms.Then,the customized solutions and products were formed through choice of platforms and match of modules.Finally,the methodology and prototype system of PFD were applied for the working equipment of wheel loader,and the preliminary effects were achieved.