Abstract
In this paper, we describe issues arising in distributed design and fabrication, where fabrication of prototypes is performed by Solid Freeform Fabrication (SFF) technologies. The focus is on a design-manufacture collaboration problem, namely the transfer of design information from the design organization to a manufacturing organization. In other research, this has been called the need for a “clean digital interface.” In the context of designing and fabricating a prototype, we explore two factors: the types of design and product information to be transferred from design to manufacturing, and which types of decisions can be made by the manufacturer regarding the prototype. As a representative product design process, we focus on three main activities, including material and SFF process selection, geometric tailoring (detailed design for manufacture modifications), and process planning. Further we investigate three interfaces between design and manufacturing organizations, one interface before each main activity. We demonstrate that a series of design decision templates can be used to transfer design information between the design and manufacturing organizations in support of the main activities. Furthermore, we demonstrate the implementation of these decision templates in a distributed design and fabrication environment called the Rapid Tooling TestBed. An example scenario is explored to illustrate the usage of two of the decision templates. Results show that, for the decision templates utilized, the templates are sufficient to specify design freedom to the manufacturer, enabling the manufacturer to assume more decision-making responsibility during the development of prototypes.
A Set of Nine Principles for Distributed-Design Information Storing