Design Automation Tools as a Support for Knowledge Management in Topology Optimization

Abstract

The problem of integrating topological optimization tools in product development process (PDP) is becoming more and more urgent since nowadays they are widely employed in several engineering fields (civil, aeronautics, aerospace, automotive). The interest for these tools is due to their capacity to better mechanical properties through a global optimization of the product in terms of weight, stiffness, resistance and cost. In particular, there is a lack of specific tools for automatic feature recognition on voxel models generated by the topological optimization tools. Our paper presents an innovative methodology that allows the integration of topological optimizers in the product development process by means of a wise and rational knowledge management and an efficient data exchange between different systems. The target has been reached through the implementation of CAD automation modules which decrease the working time and give the possibility to effectively schematize the designer’s knowledge.