Cyber-enabled concurrent material and process selection in a flexible design for manufacture paradigm

This paper presents a cyber design for manufacturing (DFM) framework for concurrent material and process selections. An internet-of-things (IoT) interface is developed wherein design, material, and process databases are accessed in a cloud-based environment. Digital designs are processed to extract dimensional features and functional requirements. A Node-RED IoT simulator is developed to provide seamless interconnectivity to translate design specifications with material and process databases via web sockets. The output from the cloud system is incorporated within a decision-making algorithm. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) is implemented where alternatives are hierarchically compared to generate weights based on combinatorial order ranking of the designer preferences. A material-process index (MPI) is developed that integrates the material and process generated weights with material-process compatibility for selecting the optimal material and process combination. The proposed methodology is applied to an electrical power distribution interchangeable fuse cutout system to validate the approach. Material and processes are selected on a standalone basis without considering their compatibilities. Further, the MPI function is implemented that integrates functional preferences for material, process, and their compatibilities to contrast against standalone material and process selections. The material-process combination with the highest MPI was chosen as the optimal solution for a product design. The cyber DFM methodology developed in this research can be extended to different application domains based on flexible user chosen criteria.