A General Framework for Combined Module- and Scale-based Product Platform Design1

The modelling framework for platform design proposed herein concurrently caters to both module-based and scale-based platforming. The model is based on a set of variables and constraints which describe both component selection and attribute value commonality and which can be used in conjunction with various objective functions, depending on the market model employed. The key innovations presented in the paper are the joint use of functional and physical product decompositions as well as the introduction of abstract functions to enforce cross-level attribute propagation and compatibility. An example of a simple electromechanical product is interwoven with the mathematical formulation.