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The role of key characteristics in the design of mechanical assemblies

Daniel E. Whitney (MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA)

Assembly Automation

ISSN: 0144-5154

Article publication date: 1 October 2006

9702

Abstract

Purpose

Products are complex and are comprised of many parts from many sources, designed at different times by different people and companies. The same holds true for the tooling and fixtures used to make and assemble them. There is little research and practice on how to design assemblies that deal with such problems. The purpose of this paper is to describe a technique aimed at this goal.

Design/methodology/approach

The technique is built up from a number of concepts. The paper defines the intent of the design, identifies key assembly‐level dimensions called key characteristics (KCs) that embody the intent, designs an architecture for the assembly that will deliver each key dimension within some stated tolerance, and conveys the intent and architecture in the form of a diagram called a datum flow chain (DFC).

Findings

The design and achievement of KCs is a joint responsibility of engineering and manufacturing.

Originality/value

The DFC method provides people with a vocabulary and a simple diagramming technique by which they can document the design intent, debate the merits of different designs, and anticipate where assembly problems will occur.

Keywords

Citation

Whitney, D.E. (2006), "The role of key characteristics in the design of mechanical assemblies", Assembly Automation, Vol. 26 No. 4, pp. 315-322. https://doi.org/10.1108/01445150610705236

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2006, Authors

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