The Application of Features in Airframe Component Design and Manufacturing

Abstract

This paper discusses recent results obtained from the development of a CAD/CAM application, which supports the generation of the manufacturing information for airframe components, which are produced using the rubber pad pressing technique. It describes the design module, which has been developed to generate feature based product models. The feature based approach guides the designer in creating product models according to company rules. These models represent the input for the subsequent modules for manufacturability analysis and tool design. The features are implemented as extensions to the data structure of a commercial geometric modeler. The functionality of the manufacturability and tool design modules are briefly discussed to clarify the demands these modules put on the product model. It is shown how high level design modifications can be supported using the proposed product model.