This research is aimed at computer-aided automation of design and manufacturing processes with particular emphasis on products modeled with parametric sculptured surfaces. Over the next five years, research will proceed concurrently in two primary thrusts: (1) investigation of novel techniques for conceptual design of sculptured surface models, and (2) the development of methods to facilitate the manufacturing processes associated with such products. The recently developed surface synthesis technique will be expanded by investigating the development of functional design constraints based on objective performance measures such as aerodynamics, hydrodynamics, or kinematics, as well as on subjective characteristics such as surface aesthetics. Research in the second category will focus on automated generation and verification of numerically controlled (NC) machine programs. Given a geometric model of the part to be produced and the kinematic capabilities of a candidate machine tool, techniques based on spherical geometry will be investigated to determine workpiece orientations which are optimal with respect to process time and dimensional accuracy. Sculptured surface models are among the most commonly utilized geometric representations, and their creation, modification and fabrication can incur substantial capital investment. Thus this research may have a profound effect on product development efficiency for a wide range of industrial and consumer products.
