Process-based clustering analysis methodology of modular design and manufacture for product family

Modular manufacturing of product families must consider both the design and manufacture of the products. A clustering analysis method is presented for modular design and manufacture of product families based on the relationships between components and their processing. The product-family model is constructed based on the proportion of each product in the family and the arrangements of the components. The components are mapped to the processing routes to create a correlation matrix based on clusters of the processing routes. Components with similar processing routes are then categorized into design modules using cluster analysis arithmetic. The proportion of processing steps for each component in each design module was then used to plan the machine cell designs. The machine cells can then quickly respond to dynamic customer orders because the proportions are properly accounted for.