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Article analysis:

The article proposes a systemic approach to assess the assembly complexity of industrial products in the early design phase. The authors argue that complexity is a major factor that induces high cost, operational issues, and increased lead time for product realization, and continues to pose challenges to manufacturing systems. The proposed approach defines complexity as a combination of both the complexity of product entities and their topological connections based on Hückel’s molecular orbital theory. The article provides a comprehensive review of the literature on assembly complexity and highlights the limitations of existing approaches.

The article presents a well-structured argument for the need to assess assembly complexity in early design stages. The authors provide evidence from previous studies that show how assembly processes significantly affect products’ final quality and cost. They also highlight how products are becoming more complex, which poses challenges for manufacturing systems. The proposed approach is based on Hückel’s molecular orbital theory, which has been adapted to industrial product assembly. This provides a unique perspective on assessing assembly complexity that goes beyond existing approaches.

However, there are some potential biases in the article that need to be considered. Firstly, the authors only test their proposed approach on two case studies from electronics industry for its validity. This limits the generalizability of their findings to other industries or contexts. Secondly, while the article provides a comprehensive review of existing literature on assembly complexity, it does not explore counterarguments or alternative perspectives on this issue.

Furthermore, while the proposed approach is innovative and promising, there are some missing points of consideration that need to be addressed. For example, the authors do not discuss how their approach can be integrated into existing design processes or how it can be used by designers with limited knowledge of molecular orbital theory. Additionally, they do not address potential risks associated with reducing product complexity too much or how this may impact product functionality.

In conclusion, while the article presents an innovative approach to assessing assembly complexity in early design stages based on Hückel’s molecular orbital theory, there are some potential biases and missing points of consideration that need to be addressed. Further research is needed to test the generalizability of the proposed approach and to explore its integration into existing design processes.