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Frontiers of Engineering Reports on Leading Edge Engineering from the 1996 NAE Symposium on Frontiers of Engineering (1997) / Chapter Skim
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Product Modularity: A Key Concept in Life-Cycle Design
Pages 17-22

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 17...
... For the past several years we at Stanford University have been developing evaluation metrics of modular designs from different perspectives. Such metrics should lead to design charts that enable engineers to achieve modules with an optimum lifecycle balance.
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From page 18...
... . Designers must critically evaluate what features require variety, they must identify core platforms with standard features, and they must modularize the design for efficient supply chain and manufacturing.
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From page 19...
... 1 00% 90% ,, 80% . _ to Cal o Q 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% ~ ~- -I ~ ~ ,.~ ~d \ \ \ \ \ \ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ' 1 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 Process Sequence FIGURE 3 DFV Chart 2 Commonality versus manufacturing process sequence.
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From page 20...
... This analysis led to a redesign that cut down the sort bin count to two and the disassembly time to one-third and that improved the scrap rate to 20 percent. Thus, the chart helps designers to select materials, processes, and assembly methods for various components, as well as to make advanced plans for the recycling process.
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From page 21...
... These methods also have provided guidance for student design teams in Stanford's graduate course on design for manufacturability. Although the teams felt the metrics and charts helped them analyze current weaknesses and generate improvements, they felt they fall far short of a general methodology for modular designs.
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From page 22...
... Pp. 499-506 in ASME Design Technical Engineering Conference Series, September 1995.
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Key Terms

  • product family
  • design charts
  • scrap rate
  • require variety
  • product line

  • entire product
  • various components
  • bins required
  • components requiring
  • recycle modularity

  • product families
  • providing variety
  • modular designs
  • low commonality
  • asme design

  • enhance component
  • appropriate modularization
  • core platforms
  • retirement process
  • service easily

  • functional analysis
  • requiring routine
  • percent scrap
  • charts helped
  • ongoing work

  • fewer sort
  • analyze current
  • product design
  • developing evaluation
  • quality function


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