Integrating Design and Optimization Tools: A Designer Centered Study
Name
v007t06a029-detc2017-68307.pdf
Size
2.79 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
890cf480ba5c5222bd8e7595e476b51f
Author(s)
Burnell, Edward Ned
Stern, Michael
Flooks, Ana R.
Yang, Maria C.
Date Issued
August 2017
Journal
Volume 7: 29th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology
Publisher
ASME International
Citation
Burnell, Edward, Michael Stern, Ana Flooks, and Maria C. Yang. “Integrating Design and Optimization Tools: A Designer Centered Study.” Volume 7: 29th International Conference on Design Theory and Methodology (August 6, 2017).
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Exploring design options for additively manufactured parts generally requires separate, sequentially applied software for design, analysis, and optimization. To evaluate the effect of integrating these capabilities within a single tool we conducted a controlled human subjects study. Three tools with different degrees of integration were created for two test cases of structural trusses, and it was found that increased integration improved quality, speed, and efficiency of the design process. After a quarter of their total time with the problems, 50% of designers with a fully integrated tool had a better design than 75% of other designers ever would. After that point, the top 50% of designers went on to explore a design space unreached with other tools. It appears that integration, and in particular the integration of optimization, leads to better performance by making it possible to explore complex designs and achieve outcomes which would be inaccessible to conventional tools.
MIT Department
Lincoln Laboratory
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Institute for Data, Systems, and Society
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Media Laboratory
Terms of Use
Article is made available in accordance with the publisher's policy and may be subject to US copyright law. Please refer to the publisher's site for terms of use.
Persistent DSpace Link
DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.1115/DETC2017-68307
