Abstract
Modular design allows to reduce costs based on scaling effects. However, due to strong alternating effects between the resulting modules and products, methods and tools are required that enable engineers to use specific views in which the respective information can be linked and retrieved according to the situation. Within the scope of this paper, the model-based systems engineering (MBSE) approach is used to model the complex real-world problem of vehicle modular kits. The aim is to investigate the potentials in this context, how modular kits and products can be efficiently modeled and finally how MBSE can support modular design. In order to investigate this in detail, two extensive studies are carried out in a company over a period of three years. The studies show that modular kits lead to an increased complexity of development. Across industries and companies, the demand for reference product models is shown, which facilitate the unification of inhomogeneous partial models and serve as a knowledge repository for the development of future product generations. On this basis, a framework is derived which enables the reuse of large proportions of the product models of previous product generations. This framework is evaluated on the basis of five case studies.
Highlights
Due to the prevailing buyer’s market, for continuing success companies are forced to follow the megatrends of globalization and individualization in their products
The following results have been achieved: (1) Model-based approaches to support the development of modular kits should depict the continuous further development of a modular kit in the sense of product generation engineering (PGE)
(3) Model-based approaches to support the development of modular kits should enable reuse of the models in the sense of the PGE due to the high number of elements
Summary
Due to the prevailing buyer’s market, for continuing success companies are forced to follow the megatrends of globalization and individualization in their products. In order to handle this challenge companies try to make the external diversity of products possible with as little internal diversity as possible For this purpose, standardization methods are applied which are often implemented in conjunction with modular kit systems in the company. For the development of such complex systems, either engineers are needed who have intuitively learned to think system-oriented, or methods and tools are required that allow engineers to approach the development processes properly, which are necessary in the development of modular kits. Against this background, the necessity emerges to depict those systems in models. The system models help on the one hand to keep the overview of contained subsystems and their interrelations
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