Digital Mock-up to Optimize the Assembly of a Ship Fuel System

Assembly activities represent a crucial phase of new product development processes. The identification of potential assembly issues early in the design stage can thus allow companies to save time and cost of successive manufacturing phases. In such context, this article analyses the potential of digital mock-up (DMU) to enhance assembly feasibility and efficiency through specific design analysis. In particular, it is here showed the development of a DMU process and its integration with design for assembly (DFA) procedures at a large Italian company. The article illustrates the application to a ship fuel system and discusses the main benefits achieved by the company in terms of reduced assembly time, re-works, number of special tools used and incorrect assemblies.