Design of reconfigurable automotive framing system

This research introduces new systematic methods dealing with a complete end-to-end design process of the production system. This paper helps product developer and systems engineer to (1) differentiate between product function and added function that are used only for the purpose of manufacturing and assembly process, (2) how these function related to the design parameters in both physical domains for the product design and the production system. Graph network (NW), change propagation index (CPI) and hybrid design structure matrix (HDSM) were introduced to: (1) establish connectivity between sub-systems (modules) before mapping design changes, (2) measure the degree of change to the state of the system due to change propagated through the entire system, (3) estimate how much embedded flexibility is needed for these elements (design variables) to accommodate future changes. A practical example of an actual production system was presented. The hybrid design structure matrix (HDSM) is used to transmit the knowledge gained and detailing the design of the production system.