CAD-INTEGRATED ENGINEERING-DATA-MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR SPRING DESIGN

In an iterative design process, a large amount of engineering data nee ds to be processed. Owing to the limitations of traditional software, the engineering data cannot be handled simultaneously and are usually divided into geometric and non-geometric data in order to be managed b y separate systems. In the spring industry, which requires repeated de finition of complicated shapes, design engineers need special interfac es for efficient product design and drafting. In this paper, the CAD-i ntegrated engineering-data-management system is developed and implemen ted for spring design, in order to simplify the drafting and data-mana gement processes. This research focuses on three main issues that can be also applied to other applications, particularly for component desi gns. These issues include: (1) product model definition, (2) CAD-datab ase communication, and (3) human-machine interface development. With t he definition of product model, the system identifies which data shoul d be accessed from data files to generate the proper drawings, and whi ch database structure should be constructed for the application domain . By the use of CAD-database communication, when engineers modify the geometric or non-geometric parameters of a product design, these param etric values can be simultaneously updated in the database. Furthermor e, the support of human-machine interface enhances the efficiency in r outine manipulation of support engineering data management and design/ redesign processes. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.