Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
2212-8271 © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 27th CIRP Design Conference
doi: 10.1016/j.procir.2017.01.019
Procedia CIRP 60 ( 2017 ) 116 – 121
ScienceDirect
27th CIRP Design 2017
Challenges of Geometrical Variations Modelling
in virtual Product Realization
Benjamin Schleich
a,*
, Sandro Wartzack
a
a
Chair of Engineering Design KTmfk, Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-N¨urnberg, Martensstraße 9, 91058 Erlangen, Germany
∗
Corresponding author. Tel.: +49-(0)9131-85-23220; fax: +49-(0)9131-85-23222. E-mail address: schleich@mfk.fau.de
Abstract
Geometrical
variations are inevitably introduced during manufacturing and can thus be observed on every manufactured artefact. Although it is
widely acknowledged that these part deviations distinctly affect the function and quality of mechanical assemblies, the majority of virtual product
validation activities still rely on the modelling and analysis of the nominal product geometry without considering such geometrical part deviations.
In order to overcome this shortcoming, the aim of this paper is to highlight the current status of geometrical variations modelling approaches for
virtual product realization and to carve out future challenges in this domain. For this purpose, different geometry representation schemes, which
are
nowadays used during virtual product realization, are discussed. Furthermore, they are linked to the various virtual product realization activities
and potentials for improvements for their use and exchange are highlighted. The novelty of the contribution can be found in the comprehensive
review of approaches for geometrical variations modelling, their placement into a changing virtual product development landscape, and the
exposition of elaborated challenges for future research in this domain.
c
2017 The Authors. Published
by Elsevier B.V.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the 27th CIRP Design Conference.
Keywords:
Geometrical Variations Management; Geometric Modelling; Skin Model Shapes.
1. Introduction and Motivation
Due to inevitable manufacturing imprecisions, geometrical
variations are observable on every manufactured workpiece [1].
There is no need to reiterate, that these geometrical deviations
have distinct e
ffects on the product function [2], on the per-
ceived product quality [3], and the economic and environmen-
tal sustainability [4]. Consequently, there is a strong need for
companies to manage these geometrical deviations along the
product life-cycle [5]. Nowadays, this involves manifold activi-
ties, which are performed by various actors. This is because the
ambition for efficient fabrication of physical artefacts in mass
production has led to a disruption of design, manufacturing, as-
sembly, inspection, and testing, and particularly to a dichotomy
between design and manufacturing [6]. This disruption be-
comes apparent
in modern series manufacturing chains, which
are considerably based on the concepts of part interchangeabil-
ity, process independence, and external procurement [7]. Thus,
industry is facing the situation, in which many departments and
di
fferent actors from product design, to manufacturing, inspec-
tion, assembly, and testing are involved in the geometrical vari-
ations management process, which covers all activities related
to controlling geometrical deviations throughout the product
life-cycle. These different actors perform manifold activities
related
to controlling geometrical deviations using specialized
verification and validation tools (an overview of such tools is
e. g. given in [8]). In this regard, the enormous benefits of
the application of computer-aided tools in product realization
need not to be repeated here. However, most of the established
approaches for the virtual modelling of product geometry are
lacking of possibilities for the consideration of geometrical de-
viations. In order to overcome this shortcoming, the aim of
this contribution is to highlight the current status of geometri-
cal variations modelling approaches for virtual product realiza-
tion and to carve out future challenges in this domain. For this
purpose, different geometry representation schemes are linked
to the various virtual product realization activities in section 2.
In section 3, an overview of geometrical variations modelling
approaches is given and challenges as well as potentials for im-
provement for their use and exchange are highlighted in section
4. Finally, a conclusion and an outlook are given.
2. Geometric Modelling in virtual Product Realization
Geometric modelling is typically performed using solid
modellers and three-dimensional parametric computer-aided
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientifi c committee of the 27th CIRP Design Conference