Design is the first step in manufacturing, and it is where most of the important decisions are made that affect the final cost of a product. Since 1980, analysis techniques have been made available which can guide designers towards products which are easy to manufacture and assemble. The availability of these techniques has created a revolution in manufacturing industry, especially in the USA, leading to reduced product cost, better quality, shorter time to market, lower inventory, few suppliers, and many other improvements. The paper first stresses the importance of taking careful account of manufacturing and assembly problems in the early stages of product design. Then, using a case study, the philosophy of the Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DFMA) methodology and its application are explained. The historical development of dessgn-for-assembly and design-for- techniques in Japan, Europe and the USA is presented. A review of published case histories emphasizes the enormous advantages to be gained by adopting this relatively new approach as the major tool in concurrent and simultaneous engineering. Finally, a discussion of the various roadblocks affecting DFMA implementation is followed by a discussion of current developments, which include product design for disassembly, service and recycling.

Product design for manufacture and assembly

Vaitoskirja pyrkii vastaamaan kahteen kysymykseen: Onko mahdollista muotoilla tuotannon teoriaa? Jos on, johtaako teoria tehokkuuden kohoamiseen, kun sita sovelletaan rakentamiseen?

Historiallinen analyysi paljastaa, etta 1900-luvulla on kehitetty ja sovellettu kolmea eri tuotannon kasitteellista mallia. Tuotanto on nahty muunnoksena, virtana ja arvontuottona. Kaikkia naita malleja voidaan perustellusti pitaa valttamattomina tuotannon ymmartamiseksi, ja niita tulisi siten soveltaa rinnakkain. Vaitostutkimuksessa esitettavaa tuotannon mallia kutsutaan tuotannon TFV-teoriaksi (Transformation, Flow, Value generation).

Tutkimuksen tulokset osoittavat, etta tehokkuutta alentavia ongelmia esiintyy yleisesti rakentamisen kaikissa vaiheissa: rakennuttajan paatoksenteossa, suunnittelun ohjauksessa ja rakennustuotannon ohjauksessa. TFV-teoria selittaa suurelta osin rakentamisen ongelmien syntymisen. Tarkasteltaessa pioneeriyritysten kehittamishankkeita, joissa on sovellettu TFV-teorian tiettyja ydinpiirteita, voidaan havaita, etta talle teorialle perustuvat menetelmat tuottavat merkittavia kustannussaastoja ja muita hyotyja. TFV-teorian avulla voidaan siten suunnata uusiin tehokkaampiin menetelmiin tahtaavaa kokeilua ja kehitystyota seka rakentamisen kaytannon etta tutkimuksen piirissa.

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An exploration towards a production theory and its application to construction

The paper reviews applications of data mining in manufacturing engineering, in particular production processes, operations, fault detection, maintenance, decision support, and product quality improvement. Customer relationship management, information integration aspects, and standardization are also briefly discussed. This review is focused on demonstrating the relevancy of data mining to manufacturing industry, rather than discussing the data mining domain in general. The volume of general data mining literature makes it difficult to gain a precise view of a target area such as manufacturing engineering, which has its own particular needs and requirements for mining applications. This review reveals progressive applications in addition to existing gaps and less considered areas such as manufacturing planning and shop floor control.

Data Mining in Manufacturing: A Review

Design for Assembly and Disassembly

In the first part of this review [62] we described the characteristics of semiconductor manufacturing environments and reviewed research on system performance evaluation and production planning. In this paper we focus on shop-floor control problems. We classify research to date by the solution techniques used, and discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of the various approaches. We discuss the relationship between shop-floor control and production planning and suggest future research directions.

A review of production planning and scheduling models in the semiconductor industry part ii: shop-floor control

A rule-based control method for a multi-loop production system

The control of an equipment-intensive production system in the electronics industry is a very complicated task due to the complex process flow, especially the necessity for several loop sequences of the same processes. This paper describes the development of a pattern-recognition-oriented control-decision support system (CDSS) in order to set the best control strategy and an application for a circuit board fabrication system. The CDSS has been designed to be flexible to adapt to a change of market demands. This procedure is based on the state table concept. A combined discrete-event/process-interaction simulation model for the production system has been developed in order to provide basic data for the CDSS. The simulation analysis evaluates the alternatives of the control strategy on the efficiency performances, such as throughput and WIP.

A pattern-recognition-based method for controlling a multi-loop production system

In this paper, a systematic methodology to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the product development process under a Concurrent Engineering (CE) environment is presented. The concepts adopted by this methodology are analogies to the total productivity enhancement concepts employed in Just-In-Time (JIT). The development processes are analysed by making distinctions between creative and routine operations, and value-added and non-value-added operations. Product development projects are classified by their types of development operations. The classification of development operations and projects facilitates the identification of possible improvement points by applying JIT analogy A concurrent engineering framework is developed to define how JIT analogy works. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is analysed through application to some actual mass-market oriented product development cases.

A concurrent engineering methodology using analogies to Just-In-Time concepts

A framework for supporting the organization and structuring of product development teams under concurrent engineering environment is presented. The concepts of Team Structuring Dimensions (TSD) and Development Characteristics and Factors (DCF) are defined. Based on the concepts, the framework analyzes the emphasis that should be placed on each TSD according to the DCFs, and each different combination of the emphasis defines a more appropriate team organization and structuring. A more appropriate team organization facilitates the communication and information sharing between the team members, and the quality of this communication is essential for product development effectiveness and efficiency. The effectiveness of the framework is discussed by real cases in product development projects.

Strategy for supporting organization and structuring of development teams in concurrent engineering

This paper presents a printed circuit board design support tool for ease of assembly which can be used for PCB designers to evaluate their design from the producibility point of view quantitatively and easily. The support tool is based on the common understanding enhancement concept among multi-sectors, which leads to smooth communication and cooperation between the product design sector and the production sector. Ease of assembly design results in economic production. Further, its application is discussed.

Toshiyuki Adachi

Papers

A rule-based control method for a multi-loop production system

A pattern-recognition-based method for controlling a multi-loop production system

A concurrent engineering methodology using analogies to Just-In-Time concepts

Strategy for supporting organization and structuring of development teams in concurrent engineering

Bridging the Gap between a Product Design Sector and a Production Sector: Conceptualization and a Support Tool