A new approach to modularity in product development – utilising assembly sequence knowledge

This article describes an approach dedicated to routine design of “highly productive” modular product ranges incorporating principles of functional analysis, Design For Assembly (DFA), and techniques from modelling and simulation of multi-physics applied to parametric CAD models. The paper focuses on techniques of assembly sequence generation based on modules identified, and module parameters identification and rule generation. This methodology entitled Functional And Robust Design (FARD) aims to take into account the modularity of product ranges while considering DFA constraints. It takes into consideration of the functions of a product and its assembly constraints in the early stages of the design process simultaneously. An experimental case study on a pneumatic scraper is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the methodology. This paper focuses on the functional design and the DFA part of the proposed methodology.