Design for additive manufacturing (DFAM) gives designers new freedoms to create complex geometries and combine parts into one. However, it has its own limitations, and more importantly, requires a shift in thinking from traditional design for subtractive manufacturing. There is a lack of formal and structured guidelines, especially for novice designers. To formalize knowledge of DFAM, we have developed an ontology using formal web ontology language (OWL)/resource description framework (RDF) representations in the Protégé tool. The description logic formalism facilitates expressing domain knowledge as well as capturing information from benchmark studies. This is demonstrated in a case study with three design features: revolute joint, threaded assembly (screw connection), and slider–crank. How multiple instances (build events) are stored and retrieved in the knowledge base is discussed in light of modeling requirements for the DFAM knowledge base: knowledge capture and reuse, supporting a tutoring system, integration into cad tools. A set of competency questions are described to evaluate knowledge retrieval. Examples are given with SPARQL queries. Reasoning with semantic web rule language (SWRL) is exemplified for manufacturability analysis. Knowledge documentation is the main objective of the current ontology. However, description logic creates multiple opportunities for future work, including representing and reasoning about DFAM rules in a structured modular hierarchy, discovering new rules with induction, and recognizing patterns with classification, e.g., what leads to “successful” versus “unsuccessful” fabrications.
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June 2017
Research-Article
A Design for Additive Manufacturing Ontology
Mahmoud Dinar,
Mahmoud Dinar
G. W. Woodruff School of
Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: mdinar3@gatech.edu
Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: mdinar3@gatech.edu
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David W. Rosen
David W. Rosen
G. W. Woodruff School of
Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
Search for other works by this author on:
Mahmoud Dinar
G. W. Woodruff School of
Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: mdinar3@gatech.edu
Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
e-mail: mdinar3@gatech.edu
David W. Rosen
G. W. Woodruff School of
Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
Mechanical Engineering,
Georgia Institute of Technology,
Atlanta, GA 30332
1Corresponding author.
Contributed by the Design Engineering Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING. Manuscript received August 31, 2016; final manuscript received January 10, 2017; published online February 16, 2017. Assoc. Editor: Yong Chen.
J. Comput. Inf. Sci. Eng. Jun 2017, 17(2): 021013 (9 pages)
Published Online: February 16, 2017
Article history
Received:
August 31, 2016
Revised:
January 10, 2017
Citation
Dinar, M., and Rosen, D. W. (February 16, 2017). "A Design for Additive Manufacturing Ontology." ASME. J. Comput. Inf. Sci. Eng. June 2017; 17(2): 021013. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4035787
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