Functional Synthesis of Manufacturing Systems Using Co-platforming

Product changes propagate from design to manufacturing which requires dynamic scheduling and resources planning leading to costly physical changes in the manufacturing system. A mixed integer linear programming model is proposed in this paper for functional synthesis of manufacturing systems using co-platforming. Co-platforming is a methodology for synthesizing manufacturing systems through mapping product platform and non-platform features (and components) to platform and non-platform machines and capabilities, respectively. The objective function is to minimize the manufacturing system initial investment cost and the cost of changing it (addition or removal of machines) when the product family changes. A case study, based on data from automotive engine cylinder blocks manufacturer, is used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed model in synthesizing manufacturing systems as well as the cost savings achieved when applying Co-platforming. Co-platforming establishes strong mapping between products and systems platforms and enables synthesizing manufacturing systems which are capable of co-adaptation and co-evolution. Its application prolongs the life of the manufacturing system to be used for many product variants and generations while minimizing changes and related capital investments.