Decision support for sequence generation in an assembly oriented design environment

Traditionally, defining the sequence of assembly tasks is not completed until after the product design phase, thus, missing I crucial opportunity to realise the benefits of simultaneous consideration. This paper proposes an approach, which realises the benefits of this simultaneous consideration. It has its origins in observations of industrial assembly planning processes and is based upon conventional design processes. Tools and techniques provide support for the necessary assembly sequencing and assembly definition decisions, including assistance to construct the sequence, choose the most appropriate parts and define liaison attributes. A constraint-based approach is used to confirm that the resulting assembly sequence is both feasible and practical and also gives guidance on the quality of the sequence. An industrial case study is presented which illustrates the practical implementation of this methodology. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.