An axiomatic approach to a cork granulation facility design

Abstract

In the conceptual step of any industrial design, there is a considerable amount of decisions that directly affect the quality of the final product. These decisions are often made with lack of knowledge about the subjects, limitative trains of thought and repetition of traditional solutions. The present paper is focused on the use of Axiomatic Design in the design of a cork granulation industrial plant, with a particular emphasis on the Independence Axiom. An innovative design solution was made, aiming to reduce or overcome the current issues and to reevaluate many of the decisions made in the past. In this study, some parts of the production process were analysed. The verified lack of independency gave rise to new design solutions and consequently to a better production process.