A new weighted fuzzy information axiom method in production research

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose a novel weighting algorithm for fuzzy information axiom (IA) and to apply it to the evaluation process of 3D printers. Design/methodology/approach: As a decision-making tool, IA method is presented to evaluate the performance of any design. Then, weighted IA methods are investigated and a new weighting procedure is introduced to the literature. Then, the existing axiomatic design methods and the proposed new method are classified into two groups: weighting based on information content and weighting based on design ranges. The weighting based on information content approach consists of four methods including pessimistic and optimistic approaches. The philosophy of the weighting based on design ranges is to narrow design ranges in order to decrease fuzziness in the model. To prove the robustness and the performance of the proposed weighting method, the results are compared with the existing methods in the literature. Then, the new approach is applied to evaluate 3D printers. Findings: The results of the proposed study show that the proposed weighting algorithm has better performance than the old ones for IA. Therefore, the proposed weighting algorithm should be used for the weighting tool of IA thereafter. Originality/value: An effective weighting method compatible with the philosophy of IA method has been proposed. Furthermore, the performances of 3D printers are compared by using the proposed method.