Chapter 2: Frameworks and Reference Models

Title: Product configuration modeling and solving based on CM-CCSP model for mass customization

Author(s): Tifan Xiong, Qinghua Liu, Wan Li

Address: Center CAD, School of Mechanical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, People|s Republic of China | Center CAD, School of Mechanical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, People|s Republic of China | Center CAD, School of Mechanical Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, People|s Republic of China

Reference: International Conference on Product Lifecycle Management 2008 pp. 137 - 157

Abstract/Summary: Facing the buyer's market, many manufacturing enterprises are now shifting from mass production to mass customization (MC). Product configuration is a key technology for mass customization in made-to-order manufacturing enterprises. Through a configuration process, product models or components are selected and assembled according to customer requirements. The realization of product configuration is faced with increasing challenges caused by the growing complexity of the underlying product assembly constraints and diversity of customer requirements. Accurate configuration modeling method and effective configuration solving strategy are the foundation of complex product configuration. However, until now there is no widely accepted model of configuration tasks that would cover all the relevant aspects in a satisfactory manner. Most of configuration models also lack a sound formal basis that would allow a rigorous analysis of the configuration tasks. In this paper, a formal product configuration model (CM-CCSP) which is based on conditional constraint satisfaction problem (CondCSP) framework is put forward. To construct the CM-CCSP model, configuration variable and configuration constraint elements have been used to represent uniformly the product model and customer requirement. On the basis of formal configuration model, a solution called model-decomposition method is proposed to solve the configuration model. Finally an illustrative example of computer configuration is used to show how to construct and solve the configuration model.

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