A MODULARIZATION METHOD IN THE EARLY PHASE OF PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

A modular product architecture possesses many advantages required as one of the design goals. Most of the modularization methods focus on the redesign of existing products, in which a dependency matrix is often used as a tool for an integration analysis. In this research, the modularization in the early phase of the design will be focused. Three more tasks will be added into the modularization of the guideline VDI 2223 with the applying of a dependency matrix, Contact & Channel Model and Genetic Algorithm to find out the optimal architecture. Additionally, the relation between number of modules and the degree of modularity will be emphasized. This approach is validated in the development of a robot forearm for the humanoid robot ARMAR III.