Modeling of Inter-Model Relations for a Customer Oriented Development of Complex Products.

Abstract

Today’s products become more and more complex and use various knowledge domains (e.g. mechatronic systems). Therefore, product development has to happen increasingly in cooperative networks. The individual subtasks that have to be treated need suitably structured requirements. However, the original customer needs must remain the superior development goal. The customer is generally oriented to the whole product and the total costs during service life. For special products (e.g. parallel robots) apart from investment and operating costs particular training, maintenance, reconfiguration and recycling are important. At the same time shorter product development time and lower costs are desired. How is it possible to drastically shorten the way from customer query to the finished, operating product? A structure model of parallel robots was developed within the collaborative research center SFB 562. It allows designing, configuring and reconfiguring parallel robotic systems in a fast and efficient way. Standardized modules are used on different levels of abstraction for structure and modular synthesis and for kinematic and dynamic analysis. Modules are exactly delimited from each other and interfaces are defined. Therefore, different specialist can simultaneously work on different modules in different science disciplines. This paper will show that within the area of parallel robots effective requirements management regarding the inter-model relations will lead to a reduction of development time, a decrease of product costs and a better fulfillment of customer requirements and wishes.