Process Planning in Microwave Module Production

This paper describes the development of a process planning module for an integrated production and process design (IPPD) tool which automates the design and manufacture of microwaves modules. Specifically, this paper presents a process template that is used to interface with multiobjective optimization techniques to create a planner that can consider alternative designs based on process yields, cost, and manufacturing and purchasing lead tiems. The integrations of the planner and the tradeoff optimization modules provides the designer immediate feedback on cost and productivity through generation and evaluation of alternative designs early in the design state.