This knowledge-based approach to engineering design problems offers design, manufacturing, and systems engineers an arsenal of neural network and other artificial intelligence tools for accelerating and improving design and manufacturing processes. Featuring the contributions of more than 30 top experts from industry and academia, the book pinpoints problems in design and concurrent engineering, discusses their features, and details a variety of approaches for solving them through the use of intelligent systems. Organized in three major sections covering the basic concepts and tools of engineering design, the use of intelligent systems in concurrent engineering, and maintaining the integrity of design in manufacturing, the book explores such essential topics as:

Computational models for conceptual design

Desirable functionalities of intelligent CAD systems

Integrating product and process design through intelligent systems

Manufacturing analysis and CAD/CAM integration

Design methodology for automated manufacture

Impacts of intelligent process control on product design

Fuzzy knowledge-based controller design and much more.

Supplemented by a wealth of practical examples that illustrate the performance of intelligent systems in design and manufacturing, this expert reference provides readers with a solid grasp of the major issues in engineering design and their impact on manufacturing, as well as an understanding of suitable tools and techniques for process improvement.