Design Theory and Methodology, DTM '94


Book Description

Contains papers from the September 1994 conference, exploring subjects such as quality and tolerance, house of quality, robust and axiomatic design, paradoxes in design, abstractions in mechanical design, complexity and collaborative design, paradigms for design education, and recent design methods




Mechanical Design: Theory and Methodology


Book Description

This volume, Mechanical Design: Theory and Methodology, has been put together over the past four years. Most of the work is ongoing as can be ascertained easily from the text. One can argue that this is so for any text or monograph. Any such book is only a snapshot in time, giving information about the state of knowledge of the authors when the book was compiled. The chapters have been updated and are representative of the state of the art in the field of design theory and methodology. It is barely over a decade that design as an area of study was revived, mostly at the behest of industry, government, and academic leaders. Profes sor Nam Suh, then the head of the Engineering Directorate at the National Science Foundation, provided much of the impetus for the needed effort. The results of early work of researchers, many of whom have authored chapters in this book, were fundamental in conceiving the ideas behind Design for X or DFX and concurrent engineering issues. The artificial intelli gence community had a strong influence in developing the required com puter tools mainly because the field had a history of interdisciplinary work. Psychologists, computer scientists, and engineers worked together to under stand what support tools will improve the design process. While this influ ence continues today, there is an increased awareness that a much broader community needs to be involved.







Geometric Design Tolerancing: Theories, Standards and Applications


Book Description

The importance of proper geometric dimensioning and tolerancing as a means of expressing the designer's functional intent and controlling the inevitable geometric and dimensional variations of mechanical parts and assemblies, is becoming well recognized. The research efforts and innovations in the field of tolerancing design, the development of supporting tools, techniques and algorithms, and the significant advances in computing software and hardware all have contributed to its recognition as a viable area of serious scholarly contributions. The field of tolerancing design is successfully making the transition to maturity where deeper insights and sound theories are being developed to offer explanations, and reliable implementations are introduced to provide solutions. Machine designers realized very early that manufacturing processes do not produce the nominal dimensions of designed parts. The notion of associating a lower and an upper limit, referred to as tolerances, with each dimen sion was introduced. Tolerances were specified to ensure the proper function of mating features. Fits of mating features included clearances, location fits, and interference fits, with various sub-grades in each category assigned a tolerance value depending on the nominal size of the mating features. During the inspection process, a part is rejected if a dimension fell outside the specified range. As the accuracy requirements in assemblies became tighter, designers had to consider other critical dimensions and allocate tolerances to them in order to ensure the assembly's functionality.




Knowledge Intensive CAD


Book Description

Knowledge-Intensive CAD clarifies and elaborates the concepts of knowledge-intensive design and CAD. In today's advanced manufacturing environment, CAD systems should not only assist designers and engineers during product design, but also in design information for use in later stages of the process such as production, distribution and operation. This book focuses on the sharing of knowledge across life-cycle stages and organizational boundaries.




Design Science


Book Description

It is the aim of this study to present a framework for the design of technical systems. This can be achieved through a general Design Science, a knowledge system in which products are seen as objects to be developed within engineering design processes. The authors have developed this design science from a division of the knowledge system along two axes. One deals with knowledge about technical systems and design processes while the other presents descriptive statements. Relationships among the various sections of the knowledge system are made clear. Well-known insights into engineering design, the process, its management and its products are placed into new contexts. Particular attention is given to various areas of applicability. Widespread use throughout is made of easily assimilated diagrams and models.







Design Computing and Cognition ’04


Book Description

Artificial intelligence provides an environmentally rich paradigm within which design research based on computational constructions can be carried out. This has been one of the foundations for the developing field called "design computing". Recently, there has been a growing interest in what designers do when they design and how they use computational tools. This forms the basis of a newly emergent field called "design cognition" that draws partly on cognitive science. This new conference series aims to provide a bridge between the two fields of "design computing" and "design cognition". The papers in this volume are from the "First International Conference on Design Computing and Cognition" (DCC'04) held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. They represent state-of-the art research and development in design computing and cognition. They are of particular interest to researchers, developers and users of advanced computation in design and those who need to gain a better understanding of designing.




Collaborative Engineering


Book Description

This superb study offers insights into the methods and techniques that enable the implementation of a Collaborative Engineering concept on product design. It does so by integrating capabilities for intelligent information support and group decision-making, utilizing a common enterprise network model and knowledge interface through shared ontologies. The book is also a collection of the latest applied methods and technology from selected experts in this area.




Product Design for Modularity


Book Description

The current marketplace is undergoing an accelerated pace of change that challenges corporations to innovate new techniques to respond rapidly to an ever-changing environment. At the center of this changing environment is a new generation of empowered buyers (customers) equipped with fast evolving technologies that allow them to buy from markets scattered across the globe. Empowering the customers has deprived organizations of what was once their right-to introduce new products slowly, at their own leisure. Organizations used to introduce new products every few years, and, for the most part, products offered limited functionalities and features. A low-priced quality product-irrespective of customer satisfaction-was a guaranteed ticket for success. New global economies and global markets changed business practices and focused on the customer as the major player in the economy. Organizations now fail or succeed based upon their ability to respond quickly to changing customer demands and to utilize new technological innovations. In such an environment, the advantage goes to the firm that can offer greater varieties of new products with higher performance and greater overall appeal. In order to compete in this fast-paced global market, organizations need to produce products that can be easily configured to offer distinctive capabilities compared to the competition. Furthermore, organizations need to develop new methods and techniques to react rapidly to required changes in products and market trends and to shorten the product development cycle, which will enable them to gain more economic competitiveness.