Abstract

In the saturated competitive markets of today, Mass Personalization (MP) is getting more and more attention. MP refers to the affordable fabrication of personalized products where the customer is involved from the beginning of product life-cycle (design phase). In order to keep personalized products affordable, it is important to select the most cost-effective fabrication route for each individualized order. To do so, this study proposes a Web-based Personalized Manufacturing Consulting System (WebPMCS) towards selecting the most cost-effective processes/resources for mass personalization in the on-demand manufacturing context. The proposed tool includes a Graphical User Interface (GUI), a cost estimation model, and a relational database. In this document, we explain the steps towards WebPMCS design and development. Then, we adapt WebPMCS to Spark Assisted Chemical Engraving (SACE). By the aid of this case-study, we validate the tool, and determine the most cost-effective fabrication routes for several personalized orders. Finally, we suggest using multi-head machines for SACE personalized fabrication and prove its benefits using WebPMCS. The proposed tool acts as an advanced calculator and a process/resource selector, and is aimed to be used as an enabling module for industry 4.0 manufacturing philosophy.