Model-based Design Process for the Early Phases of Manufacturing System Planning using SysML

This paper presents an approach for a model-based planning process for the early phases of manufacturing system planning (MSP). The goals are a better integration of MSP with product development (PD) in the early design phases and an improvement of the coordination of the MSP-related planning disciplines. The presented approach is based on model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and is supported by a modeling scheme which uses the systems modeling language (SysML). The approach consists of a process description of the MSP and of different so called SysML views which describe the information artifacts of each MSP step. It is divided into four different modeling levels that describe the manufacturing system's structure and behavior from different points of view. In order to validate the approach, an exemplary cylinder head production was modeled. Extractions from this example are shown as SysML-diagrams. To conclude the paper, the advantages and disadvantages of using a model-based planning approach with SysML for MSP are discussed.