CHAPTER 13 - Preliminary Design of Injection Molded Parts Based on Manufacturing and Functional Simulations

Abstract

Abstract Many of today's “Design for X” methodologies rely heavily on compiled heuristics or symbolic knowledge to guide the iterative design process. It is argued that the solution of real world design problems requires design methodologies which draw on all possible sources of design knowledge, whether it be low-level numerical data obtained from a finite element simulation or high-level human-based cognition. We present in this paper a design methodology and computational environment which is based on three sources of design knowledge: 1) compiled heuristics or symbolic knowledge 2) functional and manufacturing process simulations and 3) the cognitive capabilities of the designer through a user interface. The methodology is tested in the domain of the preliminary design of injection-molded load-carrying three-dimensional components based on functional and manufacturing specifications. Several test case design problems are treated. Based on a hybrid evaluation technique for qualitative rating of preliminary designs, results indicate that the proposed methodology is a viable one and may offer an attractive alternative to other approaches based on more narrow sources of design knowledge.