A Framework for Design Knowledge Reuse

This paper details a framework for making design knowledge (process and product) available to the product development team by describing architecture and an application prototype for reusing design knowledge. The framework will allow designers to tap into manufacturing methods, engineering principles, company best practices, etc. that drive the design process. It enables the mapping of customer requirements to functional requirements and further mapping to components and assemblies, which ensures product traceability. It enables also to capture, archive and query a full range of design information, which help accelerating the design process. It utilizes past experience to guide designers on what to perform next.