Francesco Furini

Feasibility of an assembly line layout automatic configuration based on a KBE approach

Design of assembly lines is a knowledge intensive process relying significantly on experience of designers and engineers, lessons learned and complex sets of rules. This complicated design process is associated with high costs, long lead times and high probability of risks and reworks. Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) and knowledge representation techniques are considered to be a successful way to tackle this design problem. This paper presents a methodology to support the configuration of assembly lines, mitigating risks and costs by introducing a best practice for global production systems provider companies. A set of system engineering rules is extracted from interviews and domain best practices and knowledge about product domain and design process is formalized. These rules will be implemented in a user-friendly platform allowing the design of first phase line layout by taking the defined system requirements (e.g. cycle time) as input. Then, the KBE approach is extended to a specific case study taken from the powertrain sector. Here, the collected knowledge on an assembly line and its design process is presented.

Development of a Manufacturing Ontology for Functionally Graded Materials

The development of manufacturing technologies for new materials involves the generation of a large and continually evolving volume of information. The analysis, integration and management of such large volumes of data, typically stored in multiple independently developed databases, creates significant challenges for practitioners. There is a critical need especially for open-sharing of data pertaining to engineering design which together with effective decision support tools can enable innova-

Optimized development: defining design rules through product optimization techniques

ABSTRACTIn recent years, parametric optimization has become an important part of product development, allowing the designer to explore an unprecedented number of product configurations. However, optimization is often thought of as the last step of the design process; the product has already been defined and the designer aim is toward the optimization of its performance. At this stage, the main performance trade-offs have been set and cannot be solved by the optimization.We propose an early application of optimization techniques during the product embodiment phase; aimed not at finding the optimal configuration of an existing product, but at highlighting trade-offs and the effect of design variables on the product performance. The output of the proposed procedure is a set of design guidelines that describe the design challenges at an early stage, when there is still time to address trade-offs, and, possibly, resolve them before the final, and more classical, product optimization.The procedure has been test...

A knowledge-based framework for automated layout design in an industrial environment

Technical knowledge and experience are intangible assets crucial for competitiveness. Knowledge is particularly important when it comes to complex design activities such as the configuration of manufacturing systems. The preliminary design of manufacturing systems is subject to a huge variability of inputs and outputs and involves decisions which must satisfy many competing requirements. This early engineering phase relies mostly on experience of designers and engineers and is associated with long lead times and high probability of mistakes. Knowledge-Based Engineering KBE and knowledge representation techniques are considered to be a successful way to tackle this design problem at an industrial level. This paper presents a methodology to support the configuration of powertrain assembly lines, reducing design times by introducing a best practice for production systems provider companies. The methodology is developed in a real industrial environment, introducing the role of a knowledge engineer. The approach includes extraction of existing technical knowledge and implementation in a knowledge-based software framework. The framework is then integrated with other software tools allowing the first phase design of the line including the line technical description and a 2D and 3D CAD line layout. The KBE application is developed and tested on a specific powertrain assembly case study for which existing knowledge is collected, formalised, implemented in the application and integrated with existing tools. Finally, the paper presents a first validation among design engineers, comparing traditional and new approaches and estimating a cost-benefit analysis useful for future possible KBE implementations.

The Role of Knowledge Based Engineering in Product Configuration

Digital design and manufacturing are critical drivers of competitiveness but only few companies and organizations have the capability to support digitalization across the whole Product Lifecycle. In several cases the information flow is discontinuous, the roles and the issues are not properly defined, the tools are heterogeneous and not integrated in the company organization. An approach that considers an appropriate data and information organization, an efficient internal organization and the availability of integrated software tools that are implementing the industrial best practices, could innovate important and critical aspect of the industrial processes. This paper gives an overview of the main themes related to Knowledge Management in industrial context, focusing on product configuration process. The current role of the knowledge in product configuration will be discussed. Then, a brief overview on Knowledge-based Engineering will be presented. Regarding Knowledge Based methodology, acquisition and formalization techniques and tools will be analyzed. Finally, an application focused on assembly lines configuration will be presented.

Configuration Rules for Assembly Line Layouts: An Integrated Approach for the Preliminary Design

The design and the configuration of manufacturing systems, such as assembly lines layouts, are time consuming activities, mainly based on implicit knowledge and no definite rules. This complicated design process is associated with high costs, long lead times and high probability of risks and reworks. Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE) is a technique that can tackle these issues and support the engineers in the early design steps of a manufacturing system with a comprehensive and systematic approach, into the integrated design in a complex system and its related processes. The purpose of this research involve the use of KBE methodology in order to collect and formalize knowledge about the a case study, the design of an assembly line layout system for the cylinder head valve of a car engine. With the formalization of the case study is possible to create an application of configuration that supports the decision making process during the preliminary design phase. The possibility to extend the process to a multi objective optimization is considered. The methodology should be able to help manufacturing equipment providers to shrink design times, evaluating more alternatives and integrating different activities related to the preliminary design phase of a system. This research proposes a practical approach combining the current research state of the art and a real industrial environment for knowledge extraction and application

Automatic configuration of a powertrain assembly line layout based on a KBE approach

Design of assembly lines is a knowledge intensive process relying significantly on experience and associated with high costs, long lead times and high probability of risks and reworks. This paper presents a methodology to support the early stage design of assembly lines through Knowledge Based Engineering (KBE). In this introductory paper the authors discuss the methodology to implement the KBE approach. A set of system engineering rules is extracted from direct interviews and domain best practices and knowledge about product and process is formalized. These rules will be implemented in a user-friendly platform allowing the design of first phase line layout by taking the defined system requirements (e.g. cycle time) as input. Then, the KBE approach is extended to a specific case study taken from the powertrain sector.

Multi Objective Optimization and Knowledge Based Engineering to Improve Refrigerated Display Unit Design

This paper presents a methodology to automatically design a family of products by integrating Knowledge Based Engineering and multi objective optimization. Methodologies for automatic design are able to dramatically reduce the development time of new models and also ensure a high quality of products. The approach presented here integrates the object-oriented modeling of product and process design with multi-parametric optimization. With this application is possible to define the initial configuration of new models and the optimization techniques may allow the choice and the optimal sizing of the main parts of the new product. To validate the proposed approach, a prototype has been developed for the optimized design of a family of refrigerated display units for commercial use. This paper describes the main aspects of the application considering the gathering of the knowledge, its implementation of this knowledge on automation codes, the description of the multi objective optimization and results achieved so far.Copyright