Highly iterative design of production process sequences

 

Due to ever shorter product life cycles and increasing individualization, companies are forced to continuously involve their customers in product development. Even in late development phases, changes in customer requirements for the product must be taken into account with as little effort as possible. In software development, this problem was addressed at an early stage through the introduction of agile methods, especially the Scrum method. The method is characterized by a highly iterative development of the product in short development cycles (sprints) with the constant involvement of the customer in the development process. This highly iterative development character is also becoming increasingly important in the development of physical products in research and practice. Due to the frequent production of different prototypes in the individual iteration loops, information uncertainties regarding the product and the manufacturing processes can be systematically and continuously reduced.

As part of the DFG project "Highly iterative design of manufacturing process sequences", the Technology Planning group deals with the development of new methods and models to support technology planners in highly iterative product development processes. The focus is on the modelling and systematic reduction of product and manufacturing technology uncertainties in the development process. In addition, the influences of manufacturing technologies on component characteristics along the process sequence are modelled in order to be able to consider the effects of future product changes in the development process on potentially suitable manufacturing technologies. The aim is to adapt the level of detail of the technology planning activities to the prevailing information uncertainties and to reduce these uncertainties as quickly as possible in order to shorten the development process.