PLM process and information mapping for mass customisation based on additive manufacturing

Abstract

Product customisation is a competitive advantage in several industry sectors; however, it has posed a significant challenge for the industry. In many cases, higher levels of product individualisation result in increased complexity to manage individual customer information and leads to reduced scale cost advantages. Existing initiatives in product customisation are mainly focused on the product assembly stage of predefined variants, without changing product design or geometry. Recent information management and flexible manufacturing technologies can support advances in current customisation approaches and levels. In this paper, product lifecycle management (PLM) and additive manufacturing (AM) are combined to build a customisation scenario including geometry-based customisation for individual customer requirements. The aim of the paper is to describe the customisation scenario and to discuss the outcomes of the proposed scenario simulation considering an assistive technology product. Research results include detailed customisation process and information flow mapping.