A connector-based approach to the modular formulation problem for a mechanical product

To respond to marketing competition, companies strive to provide a large variety of products to meet consumers' requirements. With more choices in products, such variety brings the company closer to the consumers. However, manufacturers are facing a new challenge. The assembly and partitioning of components and subassembly are becoming increasingly more complicated, which cause not only a proliferation of subassemblies but also increases the difficulty in manufacturing. To solve this problem, modular design is a key issue. This study presents a methodology for the formulation of modules on the basis of the connector concept. Based on the information entry in the assembly network sequence proposed by Tseng and Li [12], a modular partition based on the connector concept is explored. Moreover, the problem of assigning components after partitioning and the evaluation of the partitioning results are discussed. In this study, the definition and representation of connectors are described first. Then, the algorithm for the formulation of modules is discussed. Finally, a case study with a detailed analysis is provided to illustrate the application of the proposed methodology.