Forschungsthemenfelder

Customer requirements management

Both the work carried out in the run-up to the Collaborative Research Center 696 (Requirements-oriented design of intralogistics systems) and the results of the SFB have shown that neither the elicitation of requirements from stakeholders nor their implementation in the product development process are trivial. Therefore, building on the existing results, research activities will be continued in the following areas

Structuring customer requirements
Elicitation of the weighting of requirements
Structuring of product features
Definition of interfaces between product development process and e.g. QFD
Coupling QFD and conjoint analysis through virtual reality

The virtual reality system is used to show potential customers possible product features or solution approaches at a very early stage of the product development process and to be able to carry out the weighting of requirements or product features in more detail. This involves presenting products with their key features to viewers and recording their reactions. Immersing an observer in the virtual world reduces the cognitive load and thus creates space for the actual task - whether consciously or unconsciously. A high quality of graphic representation is crucial for achieving this effect. Based on 3D CAD data, VR shows products and allows the viewer to manipulate the products using interaction mechanisms. Product variants can be compared after defining a preselection.

Planning manual assembly processes under the aspect of human error risks

In the past, manual assembly processes were primarily planned or optimized in terms of execution time (MTM, REFA, etc.). Now, in a DFG project, a tool has been developed in which the human error risk is to be taken into account in the planning. The following further developments are being carried out here:

Further adaptation of the ESAT method for this task
Analysis of the cost aspects for the determined error risks
Further development of the tool into a user-friendly product

Integrated management systems / Q-Key

In the future, existing management systems in companies will continue to be supplemented by the aspects of environmental management, occupational health and safety management and then further in the direction of risk management/sustainability. This integration is not easy, especially for small and medium-sized companies. Appropriate implementation aids have been developed for this purpose. In addition, the "Q-Key" simulation game has been developed to impart relevant knowledge in this context. The following work is being carried out in this area:

Expansion of the implementation aids for small and medium-sized enterprises, in particular to include the aspects of risk management and energy management from the perspective of sustainability
Integration of the philosophy of "lean management" into these management systems

Proof of capability for non-cutting production

Proofs of capability play an important role in the product development process and in series production. They are intended to provide information on whether and how well the manufactured products meet their specifications. For verification purposes, the long-term capability indices _cp/cpk are usually determined using measured values from random samples taken from the ongoing production process. A prerequisite for a meaningful proof of capability is a correspondingly high accuracy of the measuring equipment and a sufficiently large sample size of the measured parts. In addition, the proof of capability can only provide a reliable statement if the mean value of the measured parts is also in the middle of the tolerance field. If there is a shift in the mean value during the process, the process is classified as non-capable even if the scatter is small.
In non-cutting production, unlike in machining, it is not possible to correct the process by a simple mean value correction (readjustment). If there is a shift in the mean value during the process, the individual part tool must be adjusted. This is associated with a great deal of effort and high costs and is therefore not economical.
Attempts are now being made to modify the capability verification established in machining production or to develop a new form of capability verification so that it can also be used in non-cutting production and thus make a statement about the quality and stability of the production process. As part of this subject area, investigations are also being carried out to determine the tolerances in the product development process, as these have a significant influence on compliance with the capability certificates.