SEAMLESS DESIGN-TO-MANUFACTURE OF MARINE PROPULSERS - A CASE-STUDY FOR RAPID RESPONSE MACHINING

Seamless design-to-manufacture (SDTM) is described in the context of rapid prototyping of marine propulsers. SDTM systems, customized for complex mechanical parts, have been demonstrated to reduce design-to-manufacture cycle time by an order of magnitude. They employ conventional manufacturing processes and produce prototypes made of the correct materials and as designed. Consequently, SDTM prototypes can be subjected to rigorous geometric, physical, and thermal testing. Conceptual part design and process design are brought forward in SDTM systems to form an integrated design front end. Detailed part and process geometries and NC code are automatically generated using a parametrically driven, rule-based geometric modeler. Both part and process design are described.