A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN ENVIRONMENT FOR MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

IT IS A RECOGNIZED PROBLEM THAT CURRENT COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN (CAD) AND COMPUTER AIDED ENGINEERING (CAE) INTERFACES(1) LIMIT PRODUCTIVITY OF HUMAN DRAFTSPERSONS, (2) DENY CONCEPT SUPPORT TO PRODUCT DEFINERS, AND (3) INHIBIT USE OF THESE SYSTEMS FOR DELIVERY OF KNOWLEDGE BASED CONCURRENT ENGINEERING SUPPORT. THESE PROBLEMS LIMIT INITIATIVES TO BOTH PRODUCE BETTER FIRST DESIGNS AND TO REDUCE THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT CYCLE. AS A CONSEQUENCE, THESE PROBLEMS INHIBITIMPROVEMENTS IN THE COMPETITIVE POSTURE OF U.S. PRODUCT BASED INDUSTRIES. IN ORDER TO ELIMINATE THIS INTERFACE BOTTLENECK, AN EFFECTIVE MODEL OF HOW PEOPLE CONCEPTUALIZE, INTERNALIZE, AND DESCRIBE FORMS AND SHAPES MUST BE ESTABLISHED AND IMPLEMENTED AS THE OPERATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OFTHE NEXT GENERATION OF CAD/CAE SYSTEMS. THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT ARE THE REFINEMENT OF COGNITIVE MODELS OF DESIGN AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SUPERQUADRICS AND NURBS BASED SOLID/SURFACE MODELING ENGINE THAT WOULD SERVE AS THE BASIS FOR THE MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING CONCEPTUAL DESIGN ENVIRONMENT (MECDE). THE MECDE MUST PROVIDE THE CAPABILITIES TO SUPPORT (1) DESIGNING PRODUCTS RAPIDLY AND CONCEPTUALLY, (2) ASSESSING PRODUCIBILITY, ASSEMBLIBILITY, AND OTHER LIFE-CYCLE CHARACTERISTICS, AND (3) PROVIDING NECESSARY INFORMATION FOR SUPPORTING MANUFACTURING ACTIVITIES SUCH AS PROCESS PLANNING, TOOL PATH/NC CODE GENERATION, AND ASSEMBLY TASK PLANNING.