Efficient Modular Product Platform Design of Mechatronic Systems

In today’s unpredictable business environment, manufacturing companies are exposed to increasingly dynamic market conditions and volatilely changing customer expectations. Therefore, the modular product platform approach is increasingly gaining the focus of many industries in order to enable standardization and high level of product individuality at the same time. Especially in the development of new mechatronic products the fulfillment of product functions is realized in mechanics, electronics and software. Therefore, this paper presents a methodology for an increased efficiency of modular product platforms for mechatronic systems. In the first partial model, mechatronic systems are decomposed into individual mechatronic function modules. Subsequently, a classification for degrees of freedom in mechatronic systems is developed. In the third partial model, interactions of the specific degrees of freedom with regard to function fulfilment, costs and interdependencies are examined and represented by key figures. The restriction of systemic degrees of freedom is realized by means of a change propagation algorithm. In a final step, the overall system, consisting of individual mechatronic function modules, can be configured.