A categorization of functional couplings in manufacturing systems

Abstract

The axiomatic design theory as stated by Suh has proven useful when designing products, and this success has led to an increasing interest in applying the theory to manufacturing systems development. The theory states that functional couplings should be avoided in general. However, manufacturing systems are potentially coupled in many ways, the most obvious being that manufacturing operations usually are performed in a sequence. Functional coupling is defined as a dependence between functional requirements. The subject of couplings in manufacturing systems is not extensively explored or described in the literature, and specifically not in relation to the axiomatic design theory. Five different categories of couplings in manufacturing systems are described and exemplified in this paper. Couplings can be designed into the manufacturing system for a diverse range of reasons, e.g. selection of manufacturing processes or materials, but they may also be irrational, e.g. decisions based on political opinions.