Session:

Product Configuration and Product Design (1)
Sunday, February 29, 2004, 12.25 – 12.50

Session Chair:

Klaus Turowski

Paper Title:

Software Tools for Supported CAD-Modeling of Mass Customization Products

Author(s):

D. Janitza, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Lehrstuhl für Feingerätebau und Mikromechanik
Dr. F. Irlinger, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Lehrstuhl für Feingerätebau und Mikromechanik

Abstract:

In terms of mass customization, there is an increasing necessity to integrate the customer within the product develop­ment cycle. So far the customer input was reduced to define the basic tasks and requirements through information gathered by the sales and marketing departments. In terms of the new approach standard product development cycles are adapted in order to meet the new requirements. In the stages of solution principle search and module structuring the enhanced information has to be gathered. During the following phases the products have to be pre-thought and pre-designed by modeling highly flexible and informative CAD-data using the functionalities of modern CAD-systems to define interdependencies and constraints within the product structure. These definitions lead to a set of degrees of freedom, which later on offers an individualization range for the customer. Supported by a software tool the engineers extract the developed degrees of freedom and create an flexible database file. This file is used by the customers in a configuration software, to define their own, individualized product via the internet on a client server based process. While the definition process is visualized at all times the modification information is stored in a new database file.