## 5 Illustrative Example
### Identification of GIVs
In a practical language, the following directions (see Table 1) are given for conceptualizing the first three possible variants of the reconfigurable machine tool under consideration:  
* Variant 1 should be defined by the combination: reduce the time for reconfiguration by \"arranging in advance some functional units\" AND increase variety of available modules by \"arranging in advance some functional units\" AND ensure sufficient interfaces by \"using simple copies instead of a complex system\" AND increase the number of possible configurations by \"arranging in advance some functional units\" AND reach the granularity level by \"increasing the level of segmentation\";
* Variant 2 should be defined by the combination: reduce the time for reconfiguration by \"arranging in advance some functional units\" AND increase variety of available modules by \"inversion: from mobile to immobile or vice versa\" AND ensure sufficient interfaces by \"using simple copies instead of a complex system\" AND increase the number of possible configurations by \"arranging in advance some functional units\" AND reach the granularity level by \"increasing the level of segmentation\";
* Variant 3 should be defined by the combination: reduce the time for reconfiguration by \"arranging in advance some functional units\" AND increase variety of available modules by \"replacing the rigid system with a flexible one or with a field\" AND ensure sufficient interfaces by \"using simple copies instead of a complex system\" AND increase the number of possible configurations by \"arranging in advance some functional units\" AND reach the granularity level by \"increasing the level of segmentation\". The three possible solutions that will emerge from applying the guidelines above represent the initialization particles of the SCV algorithm. Based on these guidelines and using the expertise and creative potential of the team involved, the first three possible variants are illustrated in Figures 3-5. Figure 3: Particle 1 at iteration 1: variant 1. For variant 1 in Figure 3, GIVs are identified as follows: _increase the level of segmentation_ is reflected in a higher number of functional modules, _arrangement in advance of some functional units_ is reflected in the concept of the positioning structure of the tools, _simple copies instead of a complex system_ is found in the idea of using some similar (independent) units for driving and positioning each tool. Granularity for variant 1 is \(g_{r}\)= 45% (\(n_{f}\) = 5, \(n_{m}\) = 11; see Section 5.2). The estimated time for structure reconfiguration in the case of variant 1 is \(t_{r}\) = 264 min (\(t_{m}\) = 20 min in this case study, \(m_{i}\) = 4, \(m_{a}\) = 7; see Section 5.2). For calculating \(t_{r}\) in the case of variant 1, the following operations for structure reconfiguration were considered: the supporting columns and two modules for drilling operation are replaced, two modules for milling operations are repositioned, as well as four modules for drilling operations, an orientation module, a supporting structure and a module for piece orientation are added in the system. Reconfiguration is considered for the worst-case scenario (from the simplest piece to the most complex piece in the family of pieces). For variant 2 (see Figure 4), GIVs related to segmentation, simple copies and arrangement in advance are similarly exploited as in the case of variant 1 but reflected in a different concept (a gantry structure). The inversion principle is identified in reducing the degrees of freedom of the supporting platform for the working piece. For this variant, granularity is gr= 63% (nf = 5, nm = 8), and the reconfiguration time is tr = 192 min (tm = 20 min, mi = 2, ma = 4). In the case of variant 2, reconfiguration requires the replacement of a drilling module, repositioning of the milling module, the addition of a piece orientation module, two drilling modules and a horizontal translation module. Figure 4: Particle 2 at iteration 1: variant 2. Figure 5: Particle 3 at iteration 1: variant 3.