Development of Adaptable Products Based on Modular Design and Optimization Methods

A new approach is introduced in this research to identify the optimal designs of adaptable products that can be changed, such as reconfigured and upgraded, in the operation stage considering the whole product life-cycle spans based on the modular design and optimization methods. In this new approach, product descriptions in different life-cycle phases are modeled by different configurations, and each of these configurations is described by a set of parameters. Components with similar life-cycle properties are grouped into modules. A hybrid AND-OR tree is used to model all feasible design candidates, different configurations in different life-cycle phases for each feasible design candidate, and parameters for each configuration. A multi-level optimization method is employed to identify the best design solution, its configurations in different life-cycle phases, and parameter values of the relevant configurations based on evaluation considering the whole product life-cycle span. A case study is implemented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the developed new adaptable design approach.