From Troubleshooting to Process Design:
Closing the Manufacturing Loop

C. J. Price, I. S. Pegler, M. B. Ratcliffe, A. McManus


Department of Computer Science, University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Ceredigion, SY23 3DB, United Kingdom
email: cjp@aber.ac.uk


Abstract. This paper describes the dual use of a case base for diagnosis
and for improving the design of a manufacturing process. In the short
term, the case base is used to provide past experience in dealing with
similar problems during the manufacture of aluminum components. In
the longer term, it is used to feed that experience into the design of the
manufacturing process for new components.
This is achieved by having a case hase of previous manufacturing process
problems and solutions. For diagnosis, case base matching is done in a
fairly straightforward manner. In order to use the cases in design analysis,
the case information about process type and problems with a particular
process is fed into a process failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA),
and provides details of possible problems and their likelihood.
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