METHOD OF INTERACTIVE DESIGN OF FUNCTIONAL MECHANICAL OBJECTS BASED ON FREE FORMS FOR RAPID PROTOTYPING

Abstract

The method of interactive design of functional mechanical objects is presented. Three-dimensional objects are free forms and their combinations with the use of perturbation functions. The method allows you to customize the selected mechanical design for the shape specified by the user. The parameterized mechanism, mechanical and functional constraints that define the functionality and provide an acceptable configuration are configured. An interface has been developed through which the user controls the placement of mechanical parts and the shape. Thanks to this, the user can design various variants of the shape design and synthesize mechanical components that can later be manufactured using rapid prototyping technology. The purpose of the proposed work is to develop functional objects based on mechanisms. Functional mechanical objects are represented by the shape and appearance of the structure, mechanical details and functions describing the shapes and mechanical architectures. The method does not require modeling all the properties from scratch, but allows you to reuse the existing mechanical design. It is simply reconfigured to the form selected by the user. That is, so that the mechanical design remains the same, and the geometric shapes change. This is important for rapid prototyping, when it is necessary to create several variations of some design. As a result, an approach has been implemented that ensures the implementation of low-level mechanical constraints. An approach of spatial relationships between form, mechanism and high-level functional goals is also proposed. The effectiveness of the method was tested by reconfiguring several mechanical structures to various geometric shapes for further manufacturing of the resulting functional objects.