Integrated product and process design environment tool for manufacturing T/R modules

We present a decision-making assistant tool for an integrated product and process design environment for manufacturing applications. Specifically, we target microwave modules that use electro-mechanical components and require optimal solutions to reduce cost, improve quality, and gain leverage in time to market the product. This tool will assist the product and process designer to improve their productivity and enable them to cooperate and coordinate their designs through a common design interface. We consider a multiobjective optimization model that determines components and processes for a given conceptual design for microwave modules. This model outputs a set of solutions that the Pareto optimal concerning cost, quality, and other metrics. In addition, we identify system integration issues for manufacturing applications, and propose an architecture that will serve as a building block to our continuing research in virtual manufacturing applications. (C) 1998 Chapman & Hall.