Two-phase methodology for customized product design and manufacturing

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present the results on a model for manufacturing under the constraints and conditions of mass customization environment. Design/methodology/approach - The proposed model is based on manufacturing features and entails the concept of modular design. That is, manufacturing features are identified and analyzed in a way that enables the generation of what is called manufacturing core. Manufacturing cores are semi-finished products that have certain manufacturing features. The core can be used to manufacture a range of products after conducting certain manufacturing processes. Manufacturing cores are generated through two phases of optimization. The first phase is known as product's manufacturing features analysis which includes starting features identification. The second phase is known as manufacturing cores formation that ends with generation of manufacturing cores. Findings - The methodology is implemented on real products (flanges) as a case study. The proposed model for mass customization is compared at make-to-stock and make-to-order policies in terms of a burden which includes the time and the cost that are required to fulfil a production order. Applying the proposed model of mass customization entails the minimum total burden required. Research limitations/implications - When the number of generic and variant features increases, an automated feature-recognition module or sub-system is required to facilitate the extraction of manufacturing features. Practical implications - The proposed methodology is used for design of customized product through the application of integrated design for modularity and mass customization approach for production. Originality/value - The proposed methodology entails development of semi-finished products based on manufacturing features that can be used for design and manufacturing of a range of products.