A knowledge-based design for manufacture system

Design for manufacture (DFM) is one important activity of concurrent engineering (CE). The essence of the DFM is the integration of product design and process planning into one common activity. In this paper, a knowledge-based design for manufacture system is provided. Product manufacturability can be evaluated based on the product model and manufacturing knowledge in each design period, so the product design can be optimized. A product information model is the information source of plenty of design activities (conceptual design, structure design, detail design and process planning). Product information can be shared by CAD and CAPP, and concurrent design of product can be implemented based on the product information, so the function and information integration of product design can be realized. The product and its design process can then be optimized.