The development of machine tools integrating multiple production technologies is challenging. To minimize the effort for implementation, a systematic conceptual design for hybrid machine tools is initiated already in early phases of product development. Reference product architectures are addressed. The main emphasis is on technology and system integration. A technological similarity assessment forms the basis to assure potential for synergies. The reference architecture introduced is validated by a Multi-Technology-Platform combining a milling spindle and two laser processing units.
Developing new products based on a systematic approach is essential for the entrepreneurial success of technology companies. Through functional analysis and successive synthesis of a product reformative solutions can be generated. The paper in hand reviews existing methods and illustrates the occurring hurdles and advantages. Commonly used, the morphological box with its inevitable and hardly manageable large number of theoretical solutions resulting from combinatorial explosion is investigated. To overcome those drawbacks, a new software-based method for stepped synthesis is presented which integrates existing knowledge about physical principles and an evaluation algorithm. The applicability of this new method is evaluated in a student survey using a software prototype.
The concept of function structures is well-established in early phases of engineering design for clarifying product functions.In addition, it forms the basis for the synthesis of solution principles with morphological boxes.Besides benefits, disadvantages remain with its application.First, function structures typically depend on the background their operator.If several persons with diverse backgrounds create function structures, results may be diverging.Second, function structures are non-reversible.It is easy to conceptualize function structures with given products in mind as well as to turn already existing structures into products.However, with unknown context and main functions of existing products there is no method to elaborate unambiguous function structures reversely from those products.Third, function structures are poorly applicable when mixed levels of product embodiment prevail.To overcome those shortages, an improved approach is proposed in this paper.It relies on function templates that are based on already existing function carriers.This is achieved by conceiving building blocks for functions not only consisting of the function description but also of possible function carriers and all subfunctions.For them the same principle of decomposition applies; down to the stage of elementary functions.The conception of pre-created templates helps generating unambiguous structures.By providing context information due to function carrier inclusion, solutions become traceable.Through the templates' adaptive nature, mixed levels get manageable.The paper concludes with discussing the approach regarding the development of multi-technology machine tools.To resolve these challenges, function templates are chosen that are based on the technology chain elements of the manufacturing process.
