Modeling the Structure and Complexity of Engineering Routine Design Problems

This paper proposes a model to structure routine design problems as well as a model of its design complexity. The idea is that having a proper model of the structure of such problems enables understanding its complexity, and likewise, a proper understanding of its complexity enables the development of systematic approaches to solve them. The end goal is to develop computer systems capable of taking over routine design tasks based on generic and systematic solving approaches. It is proposed to structure routine design in three main states: problem class, problem instance, and problem solution. Design complexity is related to the degree of uncertainty in knowing how to move a design problem from one state to another. Axiomatic Design Theory is used as reference for understanding complexity in routine design

The Invisible Isolation of Deaf Women: Its Effect on Social Awareness

The place of deaf women in relation to society is discussed, and the formative experiences that shape their personal development are described. Deaf women\u27s needs are delineated, and suggestions are made for providers to meet these needs

An Information Model for Product Development: A Case Study at PHILIPS Shavers

This paper presents an investigation into the development of an information model to support the Product Development Process (PDP) of shaving devices at PHILIPS. Firstly, challenges of the PDP were identified by carrying out interviews with several systems engineers and product architects. It was found that an increase in product functions combined with a shorter time to market has resulted in higher information densities and larger information flows during the PDP. As a result, managing uncertainty, communication and documentation has become increasingly difficult. Secondly, the information flow in the organization was formalized at the hand of interviews with the development staff in all involved departments and by investigating the available documentation of former projects. Thirdly, the information flow was translated into an information model to support the future development of new shaving devices. The resulting model consists of two paper based design support tools, namely, the MetroChart and the Design Parameter Matrices. The former is a paper-based design support tool that provides a compact overview of the processes that different development teams have to undergo during the PDP of a new shaver. The latter provides a detailed description of the relations between design parameters, process steps, and components. Current efforts are made to determine how to implement the model from an organizational point of view, as the number of developers, disciplines and departments involved in the design of this product is rather large and small errors can lead to large losse

Evaluating a computational support tool for set-based configuration of production systems:Results from an industrial case

This paper describes research conducted in the context of an industrial case dealing with the design of re configurable cellular manufacturing systems. Reconfiguring such systems represents a complex task due to the interdependences between the constituent subsystems. A novel computational tool was developed to support the production engineers in (sub) system configuration by enabling to consider multiple alternative configurations simultaneously. The tool was tested by applying it in two realistic system engineering problems and conducting interviews to evaluate its effects. The prototype was found to be an effective and efficient approach to support exploring evaluating and selecting sets of system configurations. The findings suggest that the approach is applicable in practice and represents a means to strategically leverage the flexibility in production system design as well as to improve the efficiency of the engineering process. Hence further research could examine if the approach is useful in additional systems engineering domains

Overcoming the product-service model adoption obstacles

Product-Service Systems (PSS) benefits are not limited to its providers and costumers, but the whole society might also take advantage from its sustainability impact. Nevertheless, many PSS projects still fail, and lots of customers stick to buying mere products or services in a transactional rather than a relational context. Shifting to the PSS paradigm requires a mind-set/organizational culture change both from the PSS’ provider and customer. On one hand, the manufacturing companies should change from production scale to use scale, therefore producing fewer products that will be more used, and the profit will be rather based on the services they provide. On the other hand, the customer must be flexible to give up product property in favor to product use when it pays off in the long term. Not surprisingly, this paradigm shift creates some obstacles that could deter companies from adapting the product-service concept, as a successful PSS will require different societal infrastructure, human structures and organizational layouts in order to function in a sustainable manner. This paper analyses the benefits and obstacles from/for PSS and proposes a self-assessment questionnaire that point to the needed business model changes in companies interested in adopting PSS

Development of Design Support Tool for New Lean Production Systems

Application of the Lean philosophy during the design of a new production system might result in a production system which is more Lean from the beginning and needs less improvement during its lifetime. In this paper a design support tool for new Lean production systems is presented. It combines the theory on Lean and production system design. The design support tool consists of three elements with a strong interaction. The first element of the tool prescribes the steps in the design of a production system in general. The second element illustrates the flow of different types of information during the design process. The third element consists of guidelines for Lean design. Following the workflow that combines the three elements should result in a new Lean based production syste

Towards Decision-support for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems Based on Computational Design Synthesis

AbstractThe efficiency of production systems largely influences the profitability in the automotive industry. Recent trends challenge traditional manufacturing concepts and promote the adoption of more flexible approaches. Reconfigurable manufacturing systems have key characteristics that make them a potential solution for the prevalent issues. Decision makers can change the configuration of the manufacturing system to respond to changing requirements, though they are confronted with a large solution space. A case from industry illustrates the need for support of design decisions in this domain. Computational Design Synthesis generates an overview of the solution space and supports the decision maker in exploring the generated range by making trade-offs for many key performance indicators concurrently by generating sets of feasible solutions that can later be narrowed down by design constraints. Therefore, an investigation is proposed that explores the role of Computational Design Synthesis tools to support decision-making in the design of reconfigurable manufacturing systems and to show potential benefits. Furthermore, research questions are shown that are relevant for the development of such a tool and a suitable research methodology is suggested

Work in progress: developing tools that support the design of easily maintainable rolling stock

Maintenance activities strongly influence the operational availability and life cycle costs of rolling stock. To achieve an effective and efficient maintenance process, it is essential that the design of the trains and its maintenance service are well-aligned. We conduct research on how the design of industrial equipment, such as rolling stock, and the design of its maintenance service influence the maintenance process. We use our findings for the development of methods and tools that support the use of maintenance knowledge in the equipment design process. An example of a past train development project shows that re- designing the mounting construction of a compressor has led to lower maintenance costs and a higher availability of both the trains and the maintenance resources. Based on such examples from industry and from findings in the literature, we expect that our research can contribute to better design decisions, which ultimately results in production systems that are cost-effective over their whole life tim

Towards structured integration of maintenance knowledge in industrial equipment design

Industrial equipment requires maintenance to remain operational. The level of maintenance that is required, and how easily it can be executed, is affected by the characteristics of the equipment. Therefore, design decisions have a strong influence on the effectiveness and efficiency of the maintenance process. Ideally, the design of the equipment should be aligned with the design of the maintenance service. Relevant knowledge about the relationships between them is available in both the literature and in practice. It is essential to bring this knowledge into the equipment design process, but suitable design support for this remains lacking. Therefore, we propose to conduct research on how this knowledge can be systematically integrated into the design process. The final goal of the research is to develop design support that leads to an improved quality of design decisions, so that production systems with an increased life cycle performance will be achieved