DESIGN PROCESS AUTOMATION – A STRUCTURED PRODUCT DESCRIPTION BY PROPERTIES AND DEVELOPMENT OF OPTIMIZATION ALGORITHMS
Year: 2011
Editor: Culley, S.J.; Hicks, B.J.; McAloone, T.C.; Howard, T.J. & Clarkson, P.J.
Author: Gramlich, Sebastian; Birkhofer, Herbert; Bohn, Andrea
Series: ICED
Section: Design Processes
Page(s): 299-309
Abstract
Automation of the product development process or of sub-processes is one possibility to support designers by their daily work. A concept for a formalized and structured description of profile-structures (assemblies of bifurcated sheet metal profiles) by properties is needed as basis for designing and optimizing them automatically. The high object complexity requires dividing profile-structures into defined design elements. The inputs of an algorithmbased design process are on the one hand the target properties and the relations between the properties. Furthermore rules, principles and guidelines of embodiment design as well as restrictions of manufacturing have to be transformed and included in an automated design process. The algorithms are the key elements of the chosen approach. A developed algorithm to design welded connections between linear flow split profiles proves that the independent properties of this design element can be determined automatically and the design can be optimized.
Keywords: PRODUCT AND PROCESS PROPERTIES; DESIGN PROCESS AUTOMATION