Design Automation

Engineering design traditionall relies on extensive manual work and deep expert knowledge, carried out with computer-aided design (CAD) tools. Design automation (DA) offers a powerful alternative by accelerating development, improving the performance of the resulting parts, and making implicit expert knowledge explicitly accessible.
DA accounts for the process-specific constraints of the chosen production technology (e.g. additive manufacturing) and lets feedback from iterative physical simulation and testing flow directly back into the design process. DA is especially valuable where designs change frequently or geometries are highly customized.

Our research aims to develop novel design algorithms that automate the design process. We develop design tools that automate frequently recurring and time-consuming tasks when designing AM parts. It can assist novices but also experienced AM designers by capturing the required application- and production-specific knowledge.

Enlarged view: Additive manufactured nozzles tested using co-extrusion of clay — Automated design of multi-flow nozzles showing user inputs and automated generation of nozzles, as well as fabrication and testing of nozzles using co-extrusion of clay materials.