PRODUCT FAMILY DESIGN WITH GROUPING GENETIC ALGORITHM—A CASE STUDY

ABSTRACT Product family is a result of derivation design, which is constructed to target various niche market segments. However, component variety may also cause over design and resources waste due to deficient preliminary analysis. Modular design to form product platform is, thus, important to enhance resource allocation and promote mass customization. In this study, a mathematic programming is proposed to simultaneously conduct platform and modular design as well as to optimize the number of modules. As to the issue of combinational components allocation, a heuristic grouping genetic algorithm is proposed, where crossover, mutation, and initial population operations is modified for such specific domain. Furthermore, a systematic design approach is developed according to product planning, functional relationships analysis, and physical relationships analysis, in which functional flow chart, interaction matrices, and computer programming are adopted to visualize the design process. Finally, a case design of coffee maker family is illustrated exhaustively.

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