Research On Adaptability-oriented Product Family Configuration And Its Application

A major competitive advantage for any company is the ability to bring products tomarket faster. To satisfy customers’ personalized, diverse and flexible demands preferably,capture market share, reduce design costs and minimize redundancy as soon as possible. Onthe other hand, to reduce material waste and the environmental pollution caused by design,the current design method should be innovated and reformed in order to meet therequirements of low-cost and high-yield output of company and the demand for less pollutionof the environment. A new design method of adaptability-oriented product family wasproposed based on Axiomatic Design and design structure matrix and cluster analysis.1) The axiomatic design theory was introduced, and design matrix was constructed basedon axiomatic design. The design structure matrix was established by converting the designparameters and functional requirements; by analyzing the relationship between variousparameters, construct design incidence matrix. And then cluster analysis was introduced. Thismethod of AD design and DSM is validated by a case study of sliding plate conveyors design.2) The configuration method for scalable product platform based on diversity analysis:Based on AD and DSM, customer needs were analyzed, characteristic parameters wereextracted, and design relation matrix was established. And then the common and scalablevariables were identified by diversity computation and cluster analysis. Then the key designparameters were extracted and mapped, and their design relation matrix was established andsensitivity analysis was applied. The scalable product platform was confirmed. Finally, aproduct platform on electro-hydraulic drum brakes was developed and its resultsdemonstrated the effectiveness and practical value of the method.3) Adaptability-oriented parametric product platform design: customer needs wereanalyzed and the common and individual needs were identified firstly. Then the productmodel was established and the key design parameters were extracted. The series values ofproducts were determined by selecting priority numbers and their design structure matrix wasestablished. And then the main parameters were identified by design relationship matrix andcluster analysis. At last the parametric product platform was finished. And finally, theexample of bridge crane wheels sets parametric platform design was used to verify theeffectiveness of the proposed method.4) Adaptable product platform-based product family configuration method was proposed,and a product family on bridge crane trolley was developed and its results demonstrated theeffectiveness and practical value of the method.The adaptability-oriented product family configuration method Not only meet the diverserequirements of customers for the product, but also do some help for the enterprise for the requirements of low-cost, which achieve the diversity requirements and can fast respond tothe customer. Its implementation can effectively suppress waste of resources and reduceenvironmental pollution.