Improving product redesign efficiency in the detailed design phase: a structure variation map based on customer environment requirements

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to shorten the product design and development cycle to meet the continuous change and growth of customer environmental requirements. Methods: The applied research method introduces the concept of the inheritable structure of green products through structural similarity theory and quantitates environmental performance. Additionally, based on the analysis of the obtained customer ecological requirements, a hierarchical mapping method for customer requirements-environmental performance weight-product structure is proposed, which achieves the rapid mapping of customer requirements (CRs) to product structure in the product design process. Then, four mutation operation methods (combination, decomposition, replacement, and material change) are combined with a genetic algorithm, and a method for generating a product structure mutation map is proposed to solve the problem of the non-inheritance of some structures in the product design process. Finally, considering the transmission shell as an example, the validity and feasibility of the method are verified. Results: The case study showed that the overall mass of the rear derailleur dropped by 27.58 kg, and the environmental performance of the transmission was mainly related to its mass; hence, the proposed improvement method effectively improved the environmental performance of the transmission. Conclusion: The hierarchical mapping method for customer requirements-environmental performance weight-product structure and the generation method for the product structure variation diagram proposed in this study can shorten the product design and development cycle. This research can provide theoretical and methodological support for product design and development.