Abstract: Variations of the product characteristics and control characteristics propagate and accumulate along the stations in a multi-station manufacturing system, which may have a significant impact on the final product quality. An innovative methodology of sensitivity-based station design and configuration evaluation is thus proposed. In order to address the key control characteristics’ variation propagation and accumulation as well as their impacts upon the key product characteristics, a state space model of the system is formulated, while replacing the time index with the station index. A sensitivity-based analytical method and a three level hieratical model (component, station, and system) are employed for fully characterizing the interdependencies of the key characteristics, as well as the relationship between different station design configurations and variation propagation and accumulation. Based on these indices, a flow chart of the evaluation and improvement procedures is presented for selecting a better design configuration, prioritizing the critical station and component in terms of variation control. An example is given to demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed indices and the analytical procedures.

Key words: Key characteristic, Multi-station manufacturing system, Sensitivity-based analysis, State space modeling