Sensitivity analysis for justification of utilising special purpose machine tools in the presence of uncertain parameters

Authors

Ana Vafadar, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Kevin Hayward, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow
Majid Tolouei-Rad, Edith Cowan UniversityFollow

Document Type

Journal Article

Publisher

Taylor and Francis

School

School of Engineering

RAS ID

25204

Comments

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in International Journal of Production Research on 29 March 2017. Available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00207543.2017.1308032

Vafadar, A., Hayward, K., & Tolouei-Rad, M. (2017). Sensitivity analysis for justification of utilising special purpose machine tools in the presence of uncertain parameters. International Journal of Production Research, 55(13), 3842-3861.

https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2017.1308032

Abstract

Decision-makers in manufacturing area frequently face machine tool selection problem under uncertainty due to competitive market changes. Special purpose machines (SPMs), a relatively new class of reconfigurable machine tools, are used to react quickly to changes. Justification of utilising these machines vs. other machine tools requires a technique to investigate the sources of uncertainties. In this work, sensitivity analysis is utilised to investigate the sources of these uncertainties and errors which may reveal new insights for evaluating a machine tool. An illustrative example is provided to show the sensitivity of parameters on the economic performance of SPMs compared to the other alternatives. The results show that this analysis provides additional information and moves the decision closer to the optimum alternative.

DOI

10.1080/00207543.2017.1308032

Related Publications

Vafadarshamasbi, A. (2017). Feasibility analysis of using special purpose machines for drilling-related operations. Retrieved from http://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2029