Integrated Strength and Manufacturing Process Design Using a Shape Optimization Approach

Intense competition in the manufacturing industry is forcing major changes in cost reduction in every step of the product development cycle starting from the design conception through production. One technique to reduce manufacturing cost is to employ simultaneous engineering between design and manufacturing using sensitivity analysis and iterative techniques. This integrated approach allows those decisions that significantly affect the product and process designs to be made more intelligently up-front. This paper considers a simultaneous design of product and manufacturing process. The product requirements include strength properties, whereas the manufacturing process goals include cost, quality, and microstructure to produce defect-free parts on a repeatable basis. The concept is demonstrated by designing a turbine disk manufactured using a forging process.