Knowledge-Based Adaptation of Product and Process Design in Blisk Manufacturing

Early and efficient harmonization between product design and manufacturing represents one of the most challenging tasks in engineering. Concepts such as simultaneous engineering aim for a product creation process, which addresses both, functional requirements as well as requirements from production. However, existing concepts mostly focus on organizational tasks and heavily rely on the human factor for the exchange of complex information across different domains, organizations, or systems. Nowadays product and process design make use of advanced software tools such as computer-aided design, manufacturing, and engineering systems (CAD/CAM/CAE). Modern systems already provide seamless integration of both worlds in a single digital environment to ensure a continuous workflow. Yet, for the holistic harmonization between product and process design, the following aspects are missing: (i) the digital environment does not provide a complete and data consistent digital twin of the component; this applies especially to the process design and analysis environment, (ii) due to the lack of process and part condition data in the manufacturing environment, an adaptation of product and process design for a balanced functionality and manufacturability is hindered, and (iii) systematic long-term data analytics across different product and process designs with the ultimate goal to transfer knowledge from one product to the next and to accelerate the entire product development process is not considered. This paper presents an exploration concept which couples product design (CAD), process design (CAM), process simulation (CAE), and process adaptation in a single software system. The approach provides insights into correlations and dependencies between input parameters of product/process design and the process output. The insights potentially allow for a knowledge-based adaptation, tackling well-known optimization issues such as parameter choice or operation sequencing. First results are demonstrated using the example of a blade integrated disk (blisk). Early and efficient harmonization between product design and manufacturing represents one of the most challenging tasks in engineering. Concepts such as simultaneous engineering aim for a product creation process, which addresses both, functional requirements as well as requirements from production. However, existing concepts mostly focus on organizational tasks and heavily rely on the human factor for the exchange of complex information across different domains, organizations, or systems. Nowadays product and process design make use of advanced software tools such as computer-aided design, manufacturing, and engineering systems (CAD/CAM/CAE). Modern systems already provide seamless integration of both worlds in a single digital environment to ensure a continuous workflow. Yet, for the holistic harmonization between product and process design, the following aspects are missing: (i) the digital environment does not provide a complete and data consistent digital twin of the component; this applies especially to the process design and analysis environment, (ii) due to the lack of process and part condition data in the manufacturing environment, an adaptation of product and process design for a balanced functionality and manufacturability is hindered, and (iii) systematic long-term data analytics across different product and process designs with the ultimate goal to transfer knowledge from one product to the next and to accelerate the entire product development process is not considered. This paper presents an exploration concept which couples product design (CAD), process design (CAM), process simulation (CAE), and process adaptation in a single software system. The approach provides insights into correlations and dependencies between input parameters of product/process design and the process output. The insights potentially allow for a knowledge-based adaptation, tackling well-known optimization issues such as parameter choice or operation sequencing. First results are demonstrated using the example of a blade integrated disk (blisk).