Model-based Rapid Redesign Using Decomposition Patterns

This paper presents a pattern-based decomposition methodology for rapid redesign to support design customization in agile manufacturing of evolutionary products. The methodology has three functional phases. The first phase, called design dependency analysis, systematizes and reorganizes the intrinsic coupling structure of a given existing design model that is represented using the design dependency matrix. The second phase, called redesign partitioning analysis, generates alternative redesign pattern solutions to form a solution selection space through a three-stage procedure. The third phase, called pattern selection analysis, finds an optimal redesign pattern solution that entails the least potential redesign effort (in the subsequent solution process). Each pattern solution identifies and delimits the portions of the design model that need to be recomputed, thus expediting the redesign solution process. In such a way, one can treat the recomputation of the entire model, which is a conventional and computation-expensive solution approach, only as the last resort to solve the redesign problem given. An example redesign problem is used for the methodology illustration.