Towards an optimal degree of design coupling through fuzzy analysis

Abstract

It has long been recognized that we need some fundamental, correct principles and methodologies to guide decision making in design. One important decision to be made in design is the determination of the optimal degree of design coupling among the components. Two components are physically coupled together if the design features of both components have been integrated to form one single physical component. This ability to decide on the optimal degree of design coupling has a direct impact on the number of components in the final design which, in turns, affects the maintainability, assemblability, testability, and adaptability of the resultant product. Design for assembly guidelines tell us to reduce the number of components in the final design. This implies that we should, as far as possible, strive for the highest degree of physical integration of parts. This may prove to be too simplistic a guideline. In this paper, we attempt to show that there exist circumstances where design coupling is undesirable. We then propose a systematic approach for determining the optimal degree of design coupling among the components.