Engineering Design Featuring the Life Cycle Approach for Reconfigurable Machine Tool

Abstract

The evolution of design has come of age and the new design approaches that look at the rapid change and short life cycles of products is taking the centre stage. Competitiveness and the cost of products determine the lifeline of an organisation. The traditional machine tools such as the dedicated and flexible machines are designed on the principle of machine design. The development of reconfigurable machines seeks a new approach to design that not only encompasses the existing approaches but should include new design approaches as well. The success of a designed product maybe measured by the capability of the system that produces it. It is critical when designing a product that the organisation’s technological and manufacturing system capabilities be considered as failure to do so may lead to production designs that are not manufacturable. A good design system ensures quick delivery of a quality, reliable and safe product. This research therefore seeks to develop an integrated approach to design that incorporates design for manufacturing, design for assembly, concurrent engineering, eco-design and reconfigurable design as critical components for reconfigurable machine tool. Literature on these systems was reviewed to integrate the different design paradigms. The results of the study give a new approach to a reconfigurable machine design based on the integration of the five design approaches and their impact in the life cycle of a product.