| Summary: | The research presented in this thesis is concerned with the Design of a Flexible Manufacturing Cell open to further expansion into Flexible Manufacturing System. The work carried out includes practical and theoretical studies designed to meet the following objectives: Part One: Presents the traditional design method used for the development of an FMC. Part Two: Presents an introduction to the formal 'Design Function Deployment', currently discussed at the Engineering Design Centre at the city University. Part Three: Re-works the FMC design problem using the 'DFD' methodology as currently exists. Presents the use of the 'DFD' methodology with some additional features correlating modifications to costs. Part Four: Presents the general conclusions about the FMC and its flexibility, and compares the design problem with and without DFD. Enhancements to the DFD methodologies are proposed. Where practicable, correlation between the results obtained from field experience and theoretical studies are attempted. The author intends the contents of this thesis to add to the existing knowledge of global design process and enable the identification of specific areas of work which should be pursued for further studies.
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