Summary:
Contemporary product designers seek to create products that are not only robust for a current market but also flexible for future changes, adaptations, and evolutions. Flexible products enable future changes even though such changes may or may not be known or anticipated in the current product offering. To accommodate product flexibility of this type, we are establishing a set of fundamental principles to guide the design of flexible products, and methods and tools for predicting the flexibility of a product. We are also using robust design methods, coupled with multiobjective decision support, to design flexibility into a product for future evolution.

Collaborators:
Kris Wood and Scott Ferguson

National Science Foundation

Related Publications:

Keese, D., C.C. Seepersad, K.L. Wood, 2009, "Product Flexibility Measurement with Enhanced Change Modes and Effects Analysis (CMEA)," International Journal of Mass Customisation, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 115-145.

Ferguson, S., A. Tilstra, C. C. Seepersad and K. L. Wood, 2009, "Development of a Changeable Airfoil Optimization Model for Use in Multidisciplinary Design of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles," ASME IDETC Advances in Design Automation Conference, San Diego, CA, Paper Number: DETC2009-87482.

Tilstra, A. H., C. C. Seepersad and K. L. Wood, 2009, "Analysis of Product Flexibility for Future Evolution Based on Design Guidelines and a High-Definition Design Structure Matrix," ASME IDETC Advances in Design Automation Conference, San Diego, CA, Paper Number: DETC2009-87118.

Tilstra, A. H., P. B. Backlund, C. C. Seepersad and K. L. Wood, 2008, "Industrial Case Studies in Product Flexibility for Future Evolution: An Application and Evaluation of Design Guidelines," ASME IDETC/CIE Design Theory and Methodology Conference, New York, NY, Paper Number: DETC2008/49370.

Keese, D.A., A. Tilstra, C. C. Seepersad, and K. Wood, 2007, "Empirically-Derived Principles for Designing Products with Flexibility for Future Evolution," ASME IDETC/CIE Design Theory and Methodology Conference, Las Vegas, NV. Paper Number: DETC2007-35695.

Keese, D. A., N. P. Takawale, C. C. Seepersad and K. L. Wood, 2006, "An Enhanced Change Modes and Effects Analysis (CMEA) Tool for Measuring Product Flexibility with Applications to Consumer Products," ASME IDETC/CIE Advances in Design Automation Conference, Philadelphia, PA. Paper Number: DETC2006-99478.

Qureshi, A., J. T. Murphy, B. Kuchinsky, C. C. Seepersad, K. L. Wood and D. D. Jensen, 2006, "Principles of Product Flexibility," ASME IDETC/CIE Advances in Design Automation Conference, Philadelphia, PA. Paper Number: DETC2006-99583.

Seepersad, C. C., F. Mistree and J. K. Allen, 2005, "Designing Evolving Families of Products Using the Utility-Based Compromise Decision Support Problem," Inaugural Issue of the International Journal of Mass Customization, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 37-64.