The project deals with a novel approach to conceptual design with the potential for decreasing the design and manufacturing costs at the same time increasing design productivity. Traditionally, products are designed for functionality without much regard for the manufacturability. By providing manufacturability information up front, it may be possible to develop better designs which would result in decreasing manufacturing costs. Comparative initial designs will be developed using functionality and functionability/manufacturability respectively, as inputs to access the relative cost and effectiveness of these methods to produce products. The problem under consideration will be restricted to the design of injection molded structural parts. The approach if successful, would provide the road to concurrent product and process design.
