A note on the specification of assembly systems

Although the characteristics and cost of any technical system are highly in fluenced by the early design phases, little focus has been on the structure and use of the specification in manufacturing system design, in this paper exemplified by assembly systems for large, high-volume products. This pape r proposes a framework for elaborating such specifications. The framework i s based on a division in qualifying and winning criteria, and is structured into four classes: functional requirements; internal design constraints; e xternal design constraints; and winning criteria. Defining the specificatio n by these terms is justified and explained by comparing standard mathemati cal formulation for this kind of problem to the framework. Future research efforts are pointed out where the framework is used throughout the developm ent project for goal-focus, as the specification is used and refined in an iterative manner.