Simultaneous engineering design evaluation using the design dependent parameter approach

This thesis presents a computer based simultaneous engineering design evaluation methodology to simultaneously evaluate candidate product and manufacturing resource designs. It utilizes the design dependent parameter approach to evaluate design alternatives resulting from candidate product and manufacturing resource designs. The evaluation measure used is expected profit.

A linear, mixed integer, single period, simultaneous engineering design evaluation model is developed to evaluate design alternatives, comprising candidate product and manufacturing resource designs, using a design evaluation function. The design evaluation function utilizes a linear optimization based search to evaluate each design alternative.

An integrated menu based software application, called SEDE 1.0, is developed to implement the design evaluation model. It integrates XPRESS-MP, a modeling language and solver, and Paradox 3.5 for DOS, a relational database management system. The application provides for ease of data handling in that input data is entered, edited, manipulated, and stored in Paradox tables. It is then read directly by the modeler at the time of matrix generation.

The design evaluation model is then applied to the constrained-design problem wherein the design alternatives for the products as well as the production resources are limited. In this case, a complete, a priori, enumeration of all feasible design alternatives is possible. The constrained-design evaluation model includes design alternatives for both, products as well as manufacturing resources. It merges the design space into the optimization space.