Home // International Journal On Advances in Systems and Measurements, volume 7, numbers 1 and 2, 2014 // View article

Towards a Generic Framework of Engineering Design Automation for Creating Complex CAD Models

Authors:
Gerald Frank
Doris Entner
Thorsten Prante
Vaheh Khachatouri
Martin Schwarz

Keywords: Engineering Design Automation; Knowledge-Based Engineering; Product Configuration and Generation; Software Framework; CAD.

Abstract:
For enterprises which engineer and produce highly customized products the reduction of design and manufacturing costs is of utmost importance. In this article, work towards a generic software framework for automating design processes resulting in complex customer-specific goods is described. Thereto, advanced product configurator user interfaces are tightly linked to CAD systems via an inference engine, which goes beyond product configuration in that it also facilitates generation of new parts. Knowledge-based engineering applications based on this framework support design engineers by automating those portions of a design process which are characterized by repetitive tasks. This is illustrated by two example use cases, namely design automation of ascent assemblies and box-type booms of cranes. On the application level, the implemented strategy is to reduce design-task complexity towards achieving significant speedups of up to 90 percent, which enables engineers to focus on creative, value-creating tasks. On the framework level, genericity and reusability is ensured by keeping the framework as CAD system independent as possible, by supporting different types of design procedures and complex assemblies, and by delivering added-value not only in the design and development phase but all along the process chain of integrated virtual product creation.

Pages: 179 to 192

Copyright: Copyright (c) to authors, 2014. Used with permission.

Publication date: June 30, 2014

Published in: journal

ISSN: 1942-261x