Methods, Tools, and Processes or the Design and Development of Individualised Products

Specialisation and individualisation are general principles in any system and are currently found in the customers' behaviour regarding any consumer good. The individualisation or customisation of complex mechatronical products demands for an integrated approach cover-ing business administration, production technologies, as well as product development and computer support. Within this contribution, we would like to focus on product development in mass customisation, i.e. the offer of individualised products that fulfil each customer wish at conditions of mass production. Therefore we would like to present elements of a general product model, a process for planning the structure or architecture of the product, methods supporting that process, i.e. checklists for degrees of freedom and possibilities of realisation as well as flexible matrices, and a computer tool for the designer. The results are useable for a wide range of cases in the area of the development of variant rich products.     «

Specialisation and individualisation are general principles in any system and are currently found in the customers' behaviour regarding any consumer good. The individualisation or customisation of complex mechatronical products demands for an integrated approach cover-ing business administration, production technologies, as well as product development and computer support. Within this contribution, we would like to focus on product development in mass customisation, i.e. the offer of individuali...     »