Process Planning for Shared Facility Combinations in Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing manufacturing line configurations struggle to flexibly adapt to product changes, leading to inefficient process planning and increased operational costs due to excessive operations and unnecessary asset preparation.
Innovation Solution
A process planning device that stores product, operation, and facility information, allowing for flexible process planning by selecting and optimizing facility combinations based on operation time and cost thresholds, enabling sharing of facilities across operations to minimize processing time and cost.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manufacturing line configuration is designed to handle various products, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases due to excessive operations and unnecessary asset preparation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the manufacturing line into discrete process elements with standardized data structures. Each process is broken down into individual operations that can be independently planned and configured, allowing flexible recombination for different products without redesigning the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates universal process templates and standardized data structures that can serve multiple products and operations. The same process framework accommodates various manufacturing operations through parameter configuration rather than structural redesign, reducing overall system complexity.
2Productivity
If traditional manufacturing line configuration is used, then process planning is simplified, but productivity decreases due to inefficient operations and unnecessary asset preparation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary process planning and optimization using standardized data structures before actual manufacturing. By pre-configuring process templates and calculating optimal operations in advance, the system eliminates unnecessary operations and reduces actual processing time during production.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses standardized process templates and data structure copies that can be rapidly replicated and adapted for different products. This copying mechanism allows efficient process planning without creating redundant unique configurations, reducing both time and resource waste.
3Manufacturing precision
If facilities are dedicated to specific operations, then manufacturing precision is maintained, but facility cost increases due to lack of sharing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs facilities with universal capabilities that can perform multiple operations through reconfiguration. The standardized data structures track and manage facility assignments across different operations, ensuring quality standards are maintained while enabling shared resource utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic facility assignment where facilities can be reassigned to different operations based on production needs. The system maintains manufacturing precision through standardized process templates that guide facility operations regardless of which specific facility is used, allowing flexible resource sharing.
Data Source
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AI summary
A process planning device includes a data storage unit configured to store product information, operation information, and facility element information, in which combination record information of facilities configuring units of operation of a process is stored in the data storage unit, a desired combination of facilities is narrowed down based on the combination record information from candidates of combinations of facilities configuring each of the units of operation, an operation time and an amount of facility cost for each of the narrowed combinations of facilities are calculated based on the stored facility element information and the stored operation information, the combination of facilities having a predetermined threshold or less is selected based on the calculated operation time and the calculated amount of facility cost, and a facility sharable in the unit of operation corresponding to the combination of facilities is selected based on a plurality of the selected combinations of facilities, and a process is planned based on the sharable facility.