Title :
Bicycles on a personalized basis FMS
Author_Institution :
IEEE Spectrum, New York, NY, USA
Abstract :
The use of a flexible manufacturing system by Japan´s National Bicycle Industrial Co. to build semicustom bicycles to customer specifications is described. The diamond-shaped frame is built to the purchaser´s individual measurements and style of riding and fitted with the purchaser´s choice of components (gears, pedals, brakes, handlebars) and accessories. A computer generates a CAD/CAM mechanical drawing of the bicycle to test the frame´s design and assigns a bar code number for all components. A total of 11,231,860 variations is possible.<>
Keywords :
CAD/CAM; flexible manufacturing systems; CAD/CAM mechanical drawing; FMS; Japan; accessories; bar code; components; customer specifications; flexible manufacturing system; semicustom bicycles; Automatic testing; Bills of materials; CADCAM; Control systems; Design engineering; Electronic equipment testing; Flexible manufacturing systems; Manufacturing automation; Optical control; Size control;
Journal_Title :
Spectrum, IEEE
