Improving product design with IPS-DFX methodology incorporated in PLM software

Abstract

Subject review The paper presents improvement of a product through the application of Design for Excellence (DFX) tools for assembly, manufacturing and environmental protection that are incorporated into the commercial software Siemens Teamcenter for Product Lifecycle Management (PLM). Complex database, that is a heart of every PLM software, allows easy access to all necessary data for DFX analyses starting from functional requirements, geometric CAD models, technology and process data related to the production system, and can be also used as a Knowledge Database (KDB) for collecting company’s experience. On the other hand, a module for management of complex processes flows, such as proposals for design changes, evaluation, verification and modification of a new revision of the product, allows easy parallel work of all participants in the process with minimum drawbacks. Successful implementation of the research is done on the model of the mechanical bathroom scale, through the required number of iterations.