Numerical Programming Approaches for the Development of Modular Product Family

Components are analyzed hierarchically according to their function and structure characteristics to generate relationship matrix showing their mutual interaction levels. Simulated annealing algorithm is applied to classify products into modules rationally. By optimizing the objective function in connection with the number of modules simultaneously, an ideal modularization design layout is obtained. Through a typical mechanical design case, the proposed approach is proven to be appropriate to tackle modularization problems for mass customization.