Optimization of the product creation process by automated design to cost

Manufacturing companies are often faced with a large variety of customer needs. Frequently the consequence is an extensive number of assembly and part variants. Furthermore, customizing complex product platforms results in a great effort. Development and production costs are therefore on a high level. Hence, companies try to find the optimum equilibrium of internal costs and external demands. If there are repetitive and nearly identical design processes, that goal can be achieved by optimizing product development processes by software driven design automation. This paper describes an “automated design to cost” approach which allows a reduction of engineering efforts by developing a standardized set of parts and modeling design knowledge.