Rationalization of product structure achieved by part count minimization

Abstract

Economic assembly and manufacturing cost advantages result from pertinent design of industrial products. However, in the context of low-and medium-volume markets and short product life, it imposes a heavy additional loading on the design function and an extended design lead time. A design for an assembly system has been developed which has special applicability to this market sector. In this paper an element of the system is described. It is shown how component function and relationship data are used to provide design advice for product simplification and part count minimization. The system calls on knowledge in the form of product geometry and design rules for assembly oriented products. Integration with a solid modelling package enables automated extraction of the product geometry, which is subsequently evaluated by the rule-based system to present advice to the product designer. Clerical input by the designer is minimized to ensure long-term acceptance in the practical work environment. A case study is used to illustrate the application of the design to an existing product, which led to a very substantial cut in manufacturing cost.