PLM Architecture for Optimization of Geometrical Interfaces in a Product Platform
Paper in proceeding, 2011

Product platforms can be used as an enabler for offering a wide variety of products to the market, while keeping the development cost down. Reusing knowledge in new designs is a key concept of product platforms, whether it is about reusing entire parts, or reusing ideas and concepts. The Configurable Component (CC) concept is one way of describing a product platform, and is based on autonomous subsystems that are not fixed, but have a bandwidth within which they can vary. These systems are configured to fit the set of requirements resulting in product variants. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) as a complementing business strategy deals with integrating processes, information, systems and people across the product lifecycle to support the development of complex products. This paper describes a case study where the CC concept is successfully implemented in a PLM environment to allow configuration of the systems in relation to each other. The focal point of this paper is configuration of the geometrical interfaces between sub systems. A car door from a Swedish car manufacturer, known for the tight fit in assembly, is used as an example. In this case, there are two requirements on the assembly. First, the assembly cannot be far from nominal, thus requiring robust interfaces between the ingoing parts. Second, the window must be mountable. The result is a PLM architecture with a Product Data Management (PDM) system, a Computer Aided Design (CAD) tool, two Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) tools and a configurator, all integrated.

Interface

Configuration

Product Lifecycle management (PLM)

Product Platform

Author

Christoffer E Levandowski

Chalmers, Product and Production Development, Product Development

Peter Edholm

Chalmers, Product and Production Development, Product Development

Fredrik Ekstedt

Fraunhofer-Chalmers Centre

Johan Carlson

Fraunhofer-Chalmers Centre

Rikard Söderberg

Chalmers, Product and Production Development, Product Development

Hans L Johannesson

Chalmers, Product and Production Development, Product Development

Proceedings of the ASME 2011; International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (Volume 2: 31st Computers and Information in Engineering Conference, Parts A and B )

Vol. 2 Paper no. DETC2011-47801 1237-1244
9780791854792 (ISBN)

Subject Categories

Production Engineering, Human Work Science and Ergonomics

Computational Mathematics

Areas of Advance

Production

DOI

10.1115/DETC2011-47801

More information

Latest update

7/12/2024