1Research Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centurion University of Technology and Management, Odisha
2Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology (NIT), Rourkela, Orissa-769008, India
3Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Centurion University of Technology and Management Jatni Campus, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Online published on 8 May, 2017.
The present study compares utility concept based Taguchi method with principal component analysis (PCA) based Taguchi method in a multi-objective optimization problem through a case study in Electric Discharge Machining of D2 Steel by using Electrode produced by Direct Metal Laser Sintering(DMLS)s using Directmetal20. The study aimed at evaluating the best process environment which could simultaneously satisfy multiple Surface requirements. As traditional Taguchi method cannot solve a multi-objective optimization problem; to overcome this limitation in the first case utility theory has been coupled with Taguchi method. Depending on Taguchi's Lower-the-Better (LB) criteria; individual response characteristics has been transformed into corresponding utility values. Individual utility values have been added finally to compute overall utility degree which serves as representative objective function for optimizing using Taguchi method. In the second method principal component analysis (PCA) has been coupled with Taguchi method. Optimal results in both the applied methods were verified through confirmatory test. This indicates application feasibility of both the hybrid methods proposed for multi-response optimization in Electric Discharge Machining.
Multi-objective optimization, Utility concept, Principal Component Analysis, Taguchi method, Electric Discharge Machining, Direct Metal Laser Sintering
