Platform-based Product Family Design Research Articles

A conceptual framework for platform-based design of non-assembled products

In this study, the use of platform-based product family design of assembled products has been reconceptualised into a framework of platform-based design of non-assembled products for the process industries. As a point of departure, platform-based design is defined as shared logic in a company's activities, and a “function-based” leveraging strategy is employed to identify non-assembled products with similar characteristics and commonalities among product families, related production processes and raw materials. It is proposed that a production platform philosophy and platform-based design of non-assembled products should rely on Product platforms, Process platforms and Raw-material platforms that are well-integrated into common Production platforms, in an end-to-end perspective. However, platform-based design of non-assembled products may differ depending on whether company production relies solely on a captive raw material base or on purchased raw materials on the open market, or on both. The congruence of the development of Production platforms with the QFD methodology and House of Quality was noted in this study, as well as the simplicity of using the methodology on homogeneous products compared to multi-level hierarchical assembled products. It is argued that the proposed conceptual framework can be used in internal company discussions and reviews whether and how such an approach in product innovation can be a fruitful avenue to explore and adapt.

Adaptable Product Platform-Based Product Family Design of Crane

A new design method for product family was presented based on adaptable product platform. Firstly, customer demands were analyzed for bridge crane. Secondly, axiomatic design was utilized as framework to zigzaging mapping between functional requirements and design parameters, and design matrix was established. Then the sensitivity analysis among design parameters and between design parameters and functional requirements was done. The design relation matrix was established and relation degree among design parameters was calculated. Based on above analysis, the platform parameters were identified.

A Cost Model for Optimal Design of Hierarchic Product Platform under Coupled Architecture

Product platform design is essentially a difficult decision to make, thus a hierarchic platform has been proposed to solve the inherent tradeoff for optimization. However, architecture coupling adds on complexity of the platform design. This paper proposes an improved cost model for the optimal design of platform design in the hierarchic manner with the consideration of the architecture coupling. This cost model uniquely treats the architecture couplings and their decoupling interfaces as latent cost drivers to enable the flexible design of product platform and its family. As a support, the underlying tradeoff mechanism of platform-based product family design is also analyzed in this paper.

Scalable Platform Robust Reconfiguration Method with Sensitivity Analysis and Fuzzy Clustering

For improving the quick responses and instances quality in platform based product family design, a scalable platform reconfiguration method using sensitivity analysis and fuzzy clustering is proposed with robust design theory. The possible platform constants and scaling variables sets are divided by design variable sensitivity analysis firstly, during which multiple performances are aggregated by preference aggregation to ease the sensitivity for total product. Then the performance preference, robust deviation and constraint violation changes caused by constant sharing are clustered by fuzzy c-means algorithm (FCM) to reasonably plan the constant multiple platforms sharing strategy. A fuzzy percentage index is introduced in FCM to determine the optimal cluster number in fuzzy clustering. Finally the instances deviated from platform are optimized to set scaling variables. The efficiency and effectiveness of proposed method is illustrated by the optimization of scalable capacitor-run single-phase induction motor families, and the results are compared against previous work.

Sensitivity Analysis-based Method for Product Family Design

In order to achieve system-wide solution for platform-based product family design, any design method should set up the decision framework along the entire spectrum of product realization according to the concept of design domains. The method presented is explored through sensitivity analysis which helps to quantify the cascading mappings between customers’ requirements, functional requirements, design parameters and process variables. Based on analyzing customers’ needs, the product platform characteristics are identified by using the sensitivity analysis results which integrate various information from all the design domains. By way of illustration, a family of sedan is designed and its results demonstrate the effectiveness and practical value of the method.

A manufacturing-oriented approach for multi-platforming product family design with modified genetic algorithm

With highly fragmented market and increased competition, platform-based product family design has been recognized as an effective method to construct a product line that satisfies diverse customer's demands while aiming to keep design and production cost-effective. The success of the resulting product family often relies on properly resolving the inherent tradeoff between commonality across the family and performance loss. In this paper, a systematic multi-platforming product family approach is proposed to design a scale-based product family. In the light of the basic premise that increased commonality implies enhanced manufacturing efficiency, we present an effective platform decision strategy to quantify family design configuration using a commonality index that couples design varieties with production variation. Meanwhile, unlike many existing methods that assume a single given platform configuration, the proposed method addresses the multi-platforming configuration across the family, and can generate alternative product family solutions with different levels of commonality. A modified genetic algorithm is developed to solve the aggregated multiobjective optimization problem and an industrial example of a planetary gear train for drills is given to demonstrate the proposed method.

Modularity analysis and commonality design: a framework for the top-down platform and product family design

With a highly fragmented market and increased competition, platform-based product family design is recognised as an effective method for constructing a product line that satisfies diverse customer demand while keeping design and production cost- and time-effective. Recognising the need for modularity and commonality in platform development, this paper presents a systematic framework to assist in implementing top-down platform and product family design, which aims to achieve system-level modularity for variety generation, and rationalise the commonality configuration for module instantiation. In the first phase of platform development, a robust and flexible product family architecture is constructed to accommodate variations by analysing the external varieties of the generic product architecture, and provide a modularity design space, wherein the design tasks are further decomposed into module instantiation. The second phase of detailed platform development aims to enhance commonality in terms of engineering efficiency by coordinating with the back-end product realisation stage. A tractable optimisation method is used to capture and resolve the trade-off between commonality configuration and individual product performance. A family of power tool designs is used to demonstrate the potential and feasibility of the proposed framework at the system level and detailed design stages.

A method for platform identification to support service family design

Customised services are an important source of revenue for many companies, particularly those subscribing to mass customisation where customer satisfaction is paramount. In this paper, we extend concepts from platform-based product family design to create a new method for module-based service family design. The objective in this research is to introduce a method for identifying a service platform along with variant and unique modules to create a service family by integrating object-oriented concepts, ontologies and data-mining techniques. Object-oriented concepts were used to support service analysis and representation combining ontologies. Fuzzy clustering is employed to partition service processes into subsets to identify common modules – the platform – and specific modules for the given service family. To demonstrate the proposed approach, we apply the proposed method to select a platform for a family of banking services.

Product family design and platform-based product development: a state-of-the-art review

Product family design and platform-based product development has received much attention over the last decade. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the state-of-the-art research in this field. A decision framework is introduced to reveal a holistic view of product family design and platform-based product development, encompassing both front-end and back-end issues. The review is organized according to various topics in relation to product families, including fundamental issues and definitions, product portfolio and product family positioning, platform-based product family design, manufacturing and production, as well as supply chain management. Major challenges and future research directions are also discussed.

Platform-based product design and development: A knowledge-intensive support approach

This paper presents a knowledge-intensive support paradigm for platform-based product family design and development. The fundamental issues underlying the product family design and development, including product platform and product family modeling, product family generation and evolution, and product family evaluation for customization, are discussed. A module-based integrated design scheme is proposed with knowledge support for product family architecture modeling, product platform establishment, product family generation, and product variant assessment. A systematic methodology and the relevant technologies are investigated and developed for knowledge supported product family design process. The developed information and knowledge-modeling framework and prototype system can be used for platform product design knowledge capture, representation and management and offer on-line support for designers in the design process. The issues and requirements related to developing a knowledge-intensive support system for modular platform-based product family design are also addressed.

Product platform commonization: platform construction and platform elements capture

Platform-based product family design is an effective means for mass customization. Platform commonization is one of the key problems in developing product platforms. Through discussion on the relevant problems of platform commonization, this article presents a framework of layered constructing platform architecture to improve commonality of platforms. Subsequently, an approach to capturing platform elements, viz. Graph theory-based clustering analysis (GTBCA), is proposed, which illustrates the construction of platforms through analyzing the commonality and standardization on a set of existing similar products of a company. The method can be used to help designers plan and design product platform rationally and develop a product family effectively for mass customization. In the end, a case study of a pumping unit product family is presented to illustrate the feasibility and validity of the approach.