Determination of manufacturing process conditions by using MCDM methods: application in laser cutting

Abstract

Manufacturing is a primary generator of wealth of the country and is essential for economic growth. Determination of the most suitable manufacturing process conditions for a given application is very complex task and requires consideration of a number of conflicting and diverse process performance characteristics (criteria). In this paper the application of a recent multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method, i.e. weighted aggregated sum product assessment (WASPAS) for determination of manufacturing process conditions in laser cutting was discussed. Laser cutting experiment was conducted based on Taguchi’s L9 experimental design by varying the laser power, cutting speed, assist gas pressure and focus position at three levels. Based on obtained experimental results, a MCDM model consisting of nine alternatives and six criteria was defined. In order to determine the relative significance of considered criteria a pair-wise comparison matrix of the AHP method was used. Stability of the obtained ranking of alternatives was checked by varying values of coefficient of linear combination and by the application of operational competitiveness ratings analysis (OCRA) method.