Abstract
Complexity is one of the factors, inducing high cost, operational issues, and increased lead time for product realization and continues to pose challenges to manufacturing systems. One solution to reduce the negative impacts of complexity is its assessment, which can help designers to compare and rationalize various designs that meet the functional requirements. In this paper, a systemic approach is proposed to assess complexity of a product’s assembly. The approach is based on Hückel’s molecular orbital theory and defines complexity as a combination of both the complexity of product entities and their topological connections. In this model, the complexity of product entities (i.e., components and liaisons) is defined as the degree to which the entity comprises structural characteristics that lead to challenges during handling or fitting operations. The characterization of entity complexities is carried out based on the widely used DFA principles. Moreover, the proposed approach is tested on two case studies from electronics industry for its validity. The results showed that the approach can be used at initial design stages to improve both the quality and assemblability of products by reducing their complexity and accompanying risks.
Highlights
Processes significantly affect products’ final quality and cost [33]
The models solely based on the physical attributes of the parts are primarily influenced by approaches, by which products are designed with ease of assembly in mind, such as; Design for Assembly and Manufacture (DFMA) [6], the Lucas Method [8] and the Hitachi Assembly Evaluation Method (AEM) [21]
Complexity of manufacturing products manifests itself in various forms in different manufacturing systems
Summary
Processes significantly affect products’ final quality and cost [33]. According to Choi et al [11], assembly related activities credit for more than 50% of the total production time and 20%-40% of the total production cost. Evaluating the root causes of complexity at early design stages becomes an imperative implementation to design and build systems that are diagnosable, predictable and productive These traits translate directly into reduced costs due to ease of maintenance, foresight and efficient use of resources. One of the main complexity drivers, product variety, necessitates a higher degree of flexibility for handling components due to the variations in the technical and functional aspects of products such as: shape, size, and configuration This results in higher uncertainty and costs due to the new or modified equipment that must accommodate the product variety and floor space requirements. The approach supports assembly operations which can be done either manually or by an automatic assembly system
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