Computers have been employed for some time in engineering design mainly as numerical or graphical tools to assist analysis and draughting. The advent of the technology of artificial intelligence and expert systems has enabled computers to be applied to less deterministic design tasks which require symbolic manipulation and reasoning, instead of only routine number processing. This book presents recent examples of such applications, focusing on mechanical and manufacturing design. The term 'design' is interpreted here in its wider sense to include creative activities such as planning. The book covers a wide spectrum of design operations ranging from component and product design through to process, tooling and systems design. Its aim is to expose researchers, engineers and engineering designers to several developments in the emerging field of intelligent CAD and to alert them of the possibilites and opportunities in this exciting field. Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Front Matter....Pages 1-3 Techniques for Intelligent Computer-Aided Design....Pages 5-26 Rule-Based Variational Geometry in Computer-Aided Design....Pages 27-46 Geometric Reasoning for Computer-Aided Design....Pages 47-60 Expert System for Engineering Design Based on Object-Oriented Knowledge Representation Concept....Pages 61-95 Front Matter....Pages 97-99 Some Applications of Artificial Intelligence Techniques to Automatic Tolerance Analysis and Synthesis....Pages 101-124 Intelligent Analysis and Synthesis Tools for Assembly-Oriented Design....Pages 125-145 Intelligent Product Design and Manufacture....Pages 147-168 Specification and Management of the Knowledge Base for Design of Machine Tools and Their Integration into Manufacturing Facilities....Pages 169-190 Front Matter....Pages 191-193 Design of Machining Processes with Dynamic Manipulation of Product Models....Pages 195-228 Theoretical Approach to Knowledge Acquisition and Knowledge Representation in CAPP Expert Systems....Pages 229-272 Knowledge-Based Computer-Aided Process Planning....Pages 273-293 Applications of Artificial Intelligence to Part Setup and Workholding in Automated Manufacturing....Pages 295-314 Front Matter....Pages 315-317 An Intelligent Knowledge-Based System for the Design of Forging Dies....Pages 319-341 Expert CAD Systems for Jigs and Fixtures....Pages 343-370 Knowledge-Based Design of Jigs and Fixtures....Pages 371-386 Front Matter....Pages 387-389 An Expert System for Designing Hydraulic Schemes....Pages 391-413 Rule-Based Programming for Industrial Automation....Pages 415-435 Knowledge-Based Programs for Manufacturing System Design....Pages 437-463 Design of Intelligent Manufacturing Systems: Critical Decision Structures and Performance Metrics....Pages 465-492 Back Matter....Pages 493-499
