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Process configuration based on generative constraint satisfaction problem

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Abstract

Product configuration, a widely used technology in product family design, is one of the most effective technologies of mass customization strategies which have been deployed by many companies for years. Nevertheless, the mass customization needs to cover the management of the whole customizable product cycle. In order to assist the development of mass customization, it is essential to extend the configuration technology to product family process planning, which is the technological essence of process configuration. In this article the process configuration task is confirmed based on the analysis of characteristics of process planning. Compared with the solving scheme of product configuration, the process configuration is then mapped into a generative constraint satisfaction problem (GCSP), and the variables and constraints of the process configuration GCSP model are identified respectively. An algorithm based on backtracking algorithm is introduced to complete the process configuration. Finally, an experiment on machining process configuration for satellite plate panel verifies the validity of our algorithm.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51405104), the Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education of China (No. 20112302130003) and the Research Innovation Fund of Harbin Institute of Technology (No. IDGA18102049).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechatronics Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, No. 92 West Dazhi Street, Harbin, 150001, China

    Lin Wang & Shi-Sheng Zhong

  2. School of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology at Weihai, No. 2 Wenhuaxi Road, Weihai, 264209, China

    Yong-Jian Zhang

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  1. Lin Wang
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  2. Shi-Sheng Zhong
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Correspondence to Yong-Jian Zhang.

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Wang, L., Zhong, SS. & Zhang, YJ. Process configuration based on generative constraint satisfaction problem. J Intell Manuf 28, 945–957 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10845-014-1031-3

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