A constraint-based limits-modelling approach to investigate manufacturing-machine design capability

Manufacturers purchase processing machinery, tailor made to handle a specific, limited product range. However, during the life span of the machines, these products are likely to change. The manufacturer often calls on the original equipment supplier to assess the ability of the machines to process either a variant of their existing range or even to consider the handling of a totally new product. In the UK such equipment manufacturers tend to be small concerns, employing 80 staff or less, and with such limited resources that there is not the expertise or time available to perform any in-depth analysis of how well the design operates or what constraints there are that may stop it reaching the new performance requirement. In the past this has led to the manufacturers purchasing new equipment, which puts a high financial burden on companies wishing to introduce new products into already highly competitive market sectors. This paper presents an approach to investigating the manufacturing capability of a machine. The methodology, based on limits modelling, utilizes the capability of a constraint environment to model multiple variations of a design and compare their performances against a range of failure modes. This process allows a variety of graphical visual representation techniques to be created to illustrate and compare the limiting conditions for all machines. (c) 2007 Journal of Mechanical Engineering. All rights reserved.