Development of a design system for EPS cushioning package of a monitor using axiomatic design

Abstract

A monitor is packed by cushioning materials because it could be damaged during transportation. However, the addition of the cushioning material increases the volume of the product. Therefore, it is required that the cushioning material be minimized. In practice, design engineers have used ad hoc design along with the experiences of their predecessors. Automation of the design process is very important for the reduction of engineering cost, and it can be achieved by an appropriate design process and software development. According to axiomatic design, a design flow is defined and a software system is developed for the automated design. At first, a basic model is defined. The user can modify the model from menus and the design is carried out according to the input from the user. Finite element models are automatically generated based on the design. A nonlinear finite element analysis program is linked for the impact analysis. The process of design of experiments (DOE) using orthogonal arrays is installed to minimize the maximum acceleration in the drop test and a new design can be proposed by the system. The program is designed according to the independence axiom of axiomatic design. Functional requirements (FRs) and design parameters (DPs) of the software system are defined and decomposed by zigzagging process. Independent modules can be generated by analysis of the full design matrix and each module is coded as a class in Object Oriented Programming (OOP). The design results are discussed. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.