With distributed computing and Internet-based supply
chains, it is possible for part designers to gain easy
access to remote, specialized and possibly lower-cost
manufacturing services, often in other parts of the
world. However, the downside of this economic model
is that the communications between the designer and
the remote manufacturing service are susceptible to the
syndrome often referred to as ‘over the wall’, meaning
that the designer does not consider the manufacturing
limitations and an unnecessary ‘to and fro’ subsequently
occurs when the manufacturing side endeavours to
rectify ambiguities with the design side. These negotiations
frequently create large costs for the enterprise, in
terms of resources and time. With this in mind, the
research described here sets out to integrate information
about the capabilities of certain downstream manufacturing
processes into the early design phase of a new
part. However, the problem of determining and characterizing
the capabilities of all manufacturing processes