Concurrent design and manufacturing for mechanical systems

The conventional product development process employs a design-build-break p hilosophy, The sequentially executed product development process often resu lts in a prolonged lead-time and an elevated product cost. The proposed con current design and manufacturing (CDM) paradigm employs physics-based compu tational methods together with computer graphics techniques for product des ign. This proposed approach employs Virtual Prototyping (VP) technology to support a cross-functional team in analyzing product performance, reliabili ty and manufacturing cost early in the product development stage; and in co nducting quantitative trade-off for design decision making. Physical protot ypes of the product design are then produced using Rapid Prototyping (RP) t echnique primarily for design Verification purposes. The proposed CDM appro ach holds potential for shortening the overall product development cycle. i mproving product quality and reducing product cost. A software tool environ ment that supports CDM for mechanical systems is being built at the Concurr ent Design and Manufacturing Research Laboratory (http://cdm.ou.edu) at the University of Oklahoma. A snapshot of the environment is illustrated using a two-stroke engine example. This paper presents three unique concepts and methods for product development: (1) bringing product performance, quality , and manufacturing cost together in early design stage for design consider ations. (2) supporting design decision-making through a quantitative approa ch, and (3) incorporating rapid prototyping for design verification through physical prototypes.