| Component integration (CI) is defined as a redesign process of combining several components into a single one, which is made of a single material and still satisfies the requirements of the original components. The concept of CI has been employed in several product design methods, such as Design for Assembly (DFA), Design for Manufacturing (DFM), and Function Sharing (FS), to reduce the total number of components and improve manufacturing quality and efficiency. However, none of existing methods provide the critical information needed to identify the appropriate components for integration. To overcome this shortcoming, an integrated methodology is developed in this research to answer two questions regarding CI: Which groups of components are feasible for CI (feasible component integration sets or FCISs: and Which of them is recommended?; The proposed methodology includes three models: (1) an assembly representation model; (2) an FCIS search model; and (3) an FCIS evaluation model. The assembly representation model captures various types of assembly information that are necessary for decision-making in downstream models. In the FCIS search model, Boothroyd and Dewhurst's three checking rules (1988, 1991) are converted into four CI constraints to guide the FCIS search. Meanwhile, the AND/OR graph and the constraint checking technique are applied in this model to search for all the FCISs in each sub-assembly. In the FCIS evaluation model, a binary quadratic programming model is formulated to select the best FCIS in each sub-assembly by minimizing the increase in internal and external costs associated with the selected FCISs. Finally, a product example is used to demonstrate the capabilities of the proposed CI methodology.; The methodology proposed in this research is capable of providing designers two types critical information that are normally ignored in the existing relevant CI methodologies: Which groups of components could be feasibly integrated and which of them should be implemented first in the early redesign stages. With this design information available, designers can focus on the recommended components and perform detailed CI modifications to ensure that their products can be manufactured with lower cost and, therefore, survive in the highly competitive global marketplace. |
