An assembly oriented design framework for product structure engineering and assembly sequence planning

The paper describes a novel framework for an assembly-oriented design (AOD) approach as a new functional product lifecycle management (PLM) strategy, by considering product design and assembly sequence planning phases concurrently. Integration issues of product life cycle into the product development process have received much attention over the last two decades, especially at the detailed design stage. The main objective of the research is to define assembly sequence into preliminary design stages by introducing and applying assembly process knowledge in order to provide an assembly context knowledge to support life-oriented product development process, particularly for product structuring. The proposed framework highlights a novel algorithm based on a mathematical model integrating boundary conditions related to DFA rules, engineering decisions for assembly sequence and the product structure definition. This framework has been implemented in a new system called PEGASUS considered as an AOD module for a PLM system. A case study of applying the framework to a catalytic-converter and diesel particulate filter sub-system, belonging to an exhaust system from an industrial automotive supplier, is introduced to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed AOD methodology

Unification of the a priori inconsistencies checking among assembly constraints in assembly sequence planning.

International audienceSequence planning generation is an important problem in assembly line design. A good assembly sequence can help to reduce the cost and time of the manufacturing process. This paper focuses on assembly sequence planning (ASP) known as a hard combinatorial optimization problem. Although the ASP problem has been tackled via even more sophisticated optimization techniques, these techniques are often inefficient for proposing feasible assembly sequences that satisfy the assembly planners' preferences. This paper presents an approach that makes easier to check the validity of operations in assembly process. It is based on a model of the assembly planners' preferences by means of strategic constraints. It helps to check a priori the consistency of the assembly constraints (strategic an operative constraints) given by the assembly system designers before and while running an assembly plan generation algorithm. This approach reduces the solution space significantly

A priori checking inconsistencies among strategic constraints for assembly plan generation.

International audienceThis paper is related to the field of assembly plan generation. It describes a new approach to a priori check the consistency of an assembly strategy that is given by the assembly system designers before running an assembly plan generation algorithm. The aim of this work is to improve the assembly plan designer's efficiency by reducing the research space while proving the existence of acceptable solutions. The assembly strategy combined with the product's model implies a set of constraints on the assembly processes. The proposed method determines whether the given assembly strategy produces possible assembly processes. In case of inconsistencies among the strategic constraints, the method will help the designer to identify the contradictory constraints. The set of constraints can be expressed by a Boolean equation. First we present the key concepts and models related to the product, processes and added values in the field of assembly plan generation. Second we define existing strategic constraints, and propose three new ones and a classification of strategic assembly constraints. The originality of the proposed method consists in defining an elementary strategic constraint that is used to describe every other constraint. The proposed method leads to model an assembly strategy by a single Boolean equation that is used to check the inconsistencies. An industrial case study is provided to highlight and to demonstrate the interests of this approach

Toward a methodology of structuring the interactions dynamic within the Multi-Domains and Multi-Views design model (Application to the design of modular product families)

Dans le contexte économique actuel, il faut proposer des produits personnalisés dequalité, à faible coût et dans des délais de plus en plus courts. La société MABI a choisi devoir chacune de ces contraintes comme une opportunité de repenser ses produits en misantsur l innovation. Il faut alors optimiser certaines tâches routinières d ingénierie afin dedégager du temps pour la conception des nouveaux produits. Le travail de recherche réalisés inscrit dans le cadre d une thèse en convention CIFRE en partenariat entre la société MABIet le laboratoire IRTES-M3M de l UTBM. MABI conçoit, assemble, commercialise et assurele service après-vente de produits propres dans le domaine de la protection et la rénovationdes bâtiments. Ses besoins d amélioration concernent le processus de développement deproduits qui doivent répondre aux besoins des clients tout en respectant des contraintesd assemblage spécifiques à l entreprise. La finalité industrielle de la thèse consiste à décliner au niveau du domaine du Produit , la méthodologie générique élaborée sur la base de notre travail de recherchescientifique. A ce niveau, notre problématique scientifique consiste à rendre opérationnel etdynamique le modèle Multi-Domaines et Multi-Vues (MD-MV), structuré de manière plutôtstatique , en y apportant des éléments de raisonnement contribuant à créer des interactionsinter-domaines et inter-points de vue. Pour ce qui est du domaine du Produit , il endécoule la méthodologie FARD (Functional And Robust Design) qui vise à concevoir et àgénérer rapidement l ensemble des variantes de produits d une même famille modulaire touten assurant le respect des besoins clients (conception fonctionnelle) et des contraintesd assemblage à travers une aide à la décision pour le choix de la séquence d assemblage,contribuant ainsi à créer une interaction dynamique avec le domaine du Process . Quatrethèmes de recherche sont abordés : la modularité, la conception fonctionnelle, la conceptionpour l assemblage (dès les phases amont du processus de conception) et la simulation(accélérée grâce au paramétrage du maillage). Habituellement, le domaine de la modularitéest souvent associé à celui de la conception fonctionnelle ou encore à celui de la conceptionpour l assemblage, mais rarement les trois ensemble, ce qui constitue la spécificité de nostravaux. Enfin, l aspect paramétrique de la méthodologie FARD, à travers les liens établisentre les quatre thèmes de recherche évoqués précédemment, rend possible la générationrapide des produits d une même famille à partir d un produit générique et ainsi de gagner dutemps de conception, en vue d atteindre nos objectifs de conception routinière HautementProductive . Trois cas d études industriels et académiques illustrent l application et lafaisabilité la méthodologie FARD...In current economic context, enterprises must provide quality custom products at alower cost and a shorter delay. MABI Company chose to consider these constraints as anopportunity to rethink its products through innovation. Then certain routine tasks must beoptimized to free up time in order to have more time to innovate and design new products.This thesis is part of a CIFRE partnership between the MABI Company and the IRTES-M3Mlaboratory at UTBM. MABI designs, assembles, sells and provides after-sales service ofproducts in the field of the protection and the renovation of buildings. MABI needs ofimprovement are in the development process of its products that must meet customer needs,while respecting its assembly constraints.The industrial purpose of the thesis is to decline in the Product domain, the genericmethodology developed on the basis of our scientific research work. At this level, ourscientific problematic is to make operational and dynamic the Multi-Domains and Multi-Viewsdesign model (MD-MV), structured in a "rather static" way, and to enriched these models byadding reasoning procedures. It follows the FARD methodology (Functional And RobustDesign) which aims to design and quickly generate variants of a modular product family whileensuring compliance with customer requirements (functional design) and assemblyconstraints. Four domains are covered: modularity, functional design, design for assembly (atthe early stages of the design process) and simulation (accelerated through theparameterisation of the mesh). Usually the domain of modularity is often associated withfunctional design or with the design for assembly, but rarely the three together, thatconstitutes one of our added values. Finally, the parametric aspect of the FARDmethodology, that is the link between the four domains, allows accelerated the generation ofproducts of the same family from a generic product and thus saving design time to achieveour goal of "High Productive" routine design. Three industrial and academic case studiesillustrate the application and the feasibility of the FARD methodology...BELFORT-UTBM-SEVENANS (900942101) / SudocSudocFranceF