A conceptual approach for the die structure design

A large number of decisions are made during the conceptual design stage which is characterized by a lack of complete geometric information. While existing CAD systems supporting the geometric aspects of design have had little impact at the conceptual design stage. To support the conceptual die design and the top–down design process, a new concept called conceptual assembly modeling framework (CAMF) is presented in this paper. Firstly, the framework employs the zigzag function-symbol mapping to implement the function design of the die. From the easily understood analytical results of the function-symbol mapping matrix, the designer can evaluate the quality of a proposed die concept. Secondly, a new method—logic assembly modeling is proposed using logic components in this framework to satisfy the characteristic of the conceptual die design. Representing shapes and spatial relations in logic can provide a natural, intuitive method of developing complete computer systems for reasoning about die construction design at the conceptual stage. The logic assembly which consists of logic components is an innovative representation that provides a natural link between the function design of the die and the detailed geometric design.