ABSTRACT
There have been several attempts to promote the need to take rapid prototyping (RP) into account during the design process. CAD considerations such as the requirement for a fully enclosed surface or solid model have been discussed in detail Smith-Moritz (1992). The impact of using RP on the total design process has also been discussed Meuller (1991), Ulerich (1992). The designer cannot simply produce a CAD model that meets the design specification and then pass this on to the RP service. This “over-the-wall” mentality runs totally contrary to
the concurrent engineering philosophy that RP is often used to support. A DFRP methodology that is an integral part of the design process is required. For some time now the need for such a methodology has been recognised Jara-Almonte, Bagchi, Ogale and Dooley (1990), Crawford (1993) but remains unsatisfied. This paper describes the DFRP methodology currently being developed at Nottingham University to remedy this situation.
