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Topological properties that model feature-based representation conversions within concurrent engineering

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Abstract

One of the fundamental axioms of concurrent engineering is that undertaking functional design without foreseeing the manufacturing process leads to production delays and increased costs. This widely accepted concurrent engineering principle is given a formal basis by development of a mathematical model for the conversion of a feature-based design representation to a manufacturing representation. Within the domain of thin-walled components, it is shown that the conversion to tooling cost representations can result in a discontinuous function when the sets of design and manufacturing representations have been formulated as topological spaces. This discontinuity formally reflects the folklore that a small design change can significantly increase product cost. The mathematical sophistication required within this model is suggestive of why manufacturability evaluations can be quite difficult.

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Author notes

  1. Davis W. Rosen

    Present address: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 30332, Atlanta, GA, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Design Automation Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    Davis W. Rosen

  2. Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Connecticut, 06269, Storrs, CT, USA

    Thomas J. Peters

Authors
  1. Davis W. Rosen
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  2. Thomas J. Peters
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Rosen, D.W., Peters, T.J. Topological properties that model feature-based representation conversions within concurrent engineering. Research in Engineering Design 4, 147–158 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01607943

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01607943

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