A Framework to Link Product Configuration and CAD Automation

The competitive market forces companies to offer tailored products to meet specific customer needs. To avoid wasting time, design efforts generally address the configuration of existing solutions, without producing substantial design modifications. Configuration tools are used to achieve customized products starting from a common platform. Many approaches have been successfully proposed in literature to automate most design activities when configuring products. In the mechanical filed, research is focused on tools and methods to automatically produce geometrical models and improve the flexibility of the continuous product updating process. In this context, this paper aims to combine product configuration approaches with design automation techniques in order to support redesign activities of products to fulfil specific requirements. The approach is based on entities called Configurable Virtual Prototypes (CVP). Three different domains are managed and connected via CVP: Product Specifications, Geometrical Data and Product Knowledge. In particular, geometry recognition rules are used to identify the parameterization of parts and the assembly mating constraints. The approach is exemplified through an industrial case study where a tool has been developed on the basis of the described method. Advantages of the system are shown in terms of achieved product flexibility.