A computer-based design system is to be developed and evaluated that will support evaluation for manufacturability at an early stage in the design process (when the configuration has been established) and also at the detailed design stage (when dimensions have been established). Evaluation and redesign advice will be provided on request to the designer, who can make changes as desired and have the design re-evaluated. Evaluation will be provided at the configuration and detailed design levels in the domains of injection molding, stamping, die casting, handling for assembly, assembly by insertion, and for tolerances. The representations to be provided are feature-based, and will include not only representations of form and spatial relationships, but also additional design and manufacturing information needed for the evaluations. The system, to be developed jointly by mechanical, electrical, and industrial engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Massachusetts, is to be tested and evaluated to determine the validity of the representations, of the efficacy two-tier evaluation concept, and the completeness of the manufacturability data base included.
