Modeling the characteristics of multi-technology platforms

Multi-technology platforms are an emerging and promising production technology. However, until now the conditions are unclear under which value creation with multi-technology platforms can be carried out more efficiently than with a system of stand-alone machines. This paper derives characteristic thresholds mathematically that describe points of equal advantageousness of both alternatives in terms of lot size and number of processes required to machine the workpiece. It is found that the progression of the characteristic thresholds is describable by three characteristic figures χ, ρ and ω. The findings emphasize the necessity of a significant reduction of processing times on multi-technology platforms.