3D conceptual design of sheet metal products by sketching

Design of sheet metal products can be a complex and elaborate process. However, many important aspects of the manufacturing characteristics of a product are already determined at the early stages of the design. This paper reports on a system for conceptual design of sheet metal products by sketching, based on principles of early incorporation of CAD, imprecise analysis, and natural, in-context interaction. Using this approach, various preliminary aspects of a product, such as manufacturability, optimal flat pattern, weight and cost can be estimated automatically based on only a rough freehand sketch of a product, without requiring accurate details. This approach permits designers to explore new concepts more freely and to make a sounder decision when selecting a particular concept for detailed design. The paper describes the concept of the proposed methodology and its underlying algorithms for efficient flat pattern determination based on fuzzy AI techniques. Examples from a working implementation are shown.