APPLICATION OF AXIOMATIC DESIGN THEORY IN THERMOFORMING APPARATUS DESIGN AND FABRICATION

Abstract

In this article, the authors synthesized and analyzed research papers that utilized axiomatic design theory (ADT), both in scope of applications and pros and cons. After the benefits of ADT for design in particular and scientific research in general were carefully investigated, ADT was studied and translated from the author's original book. Accordingly, the axiomatic design is to consider the design in a scientific way, thereby providing a basic framework to understand design activities. ADT includes some basic concepts - domain and mapping, hierarchy, zigzagging, the independence axiom and the information axiom. Design tasks can be represented as mappings between domains. Designers map from the requirements of what they want to achieve to posible solutions. As the design progresses, broad, high level requirements are decomposed into smaller sub-requirements, which are then fulfilled by sub-solutions. When designers choose solutions, they utilize two design axioms to evaluate the quality of these solutions. Therefore, the axiomatic design provides guidance on how to make good decisions, promising to be a powerful tool for design activities in Vietnam. Finally, to master the theory, ADT is applied to the design of a thermoforming device. However, in this casestudy, only axiom 1, axiom of maintaining the independence of functional requirements was utilized; therefore, the next research will be to optimize the functional structures of the device, using the axiom 2, the axiom of minimizing information content.