DAP Blog

A Closer Look at Design Configurators for Efficient Product Design: The Balance Between Automation and Expertise

Design automation is a way of optimising traditionally manual and time-consuming development processes. In today’s fast-paced world, where innovation and shorter development cycles are essential, design automation opens up unprecedented possibilities.

Imagine being able to create complex 3D designs in minutes, generate countless design variations and accelerate customisation effortlessly.
At DAP, Carsten Putz and his Data-Driven Design team research and develop custom design configurators. These tools automate the design process of 3D models, taking into account multi-physical constraints and manufacturing limitations, enabling engineers to create efficient designs faster and more effectively.

But it’s not about replacing experts—it’s about enabling them to focus on the creative and strategic aspects of design. They still have to define boundaries, set targets to optimize for and to evaluate generated designs.

Within the HaPiPro² Project, the basic method for an e-machine winding design configurator has been developed and further refined to design a hairpin stator, a critical component in electric motors.

Additionally, the foundational method for developing design configurators has been applied to other innovative applications, including:

• Busbars for electrical machines: Rapid generation of optimised designs based on stator and winding configurations.
• Hydrogen gas burners: Refining burner geometries to improve the efficiency of hydrogen combustion.
• Heat pipes: Generating multiple design iterations to optimize thermal performance and geometric fit.
• Hydraulics: Optimizing fluid channels for hydraulic blocks.
• MedTech: Patient-specific implants, orthoses, and prostheses based on X-ray or CT data.
• Fan wheels: Vacuum cleaner fan wheels for repair and reuse.

These applications demonstrate the adaptability of the method across sectors ranging from sustainable energy to automotive components.

But despite its immense potential, challenges remain. Integrating multiple boundary conditions and conflicting optimization directions into a single configurator can be complex, especially when managing data flows. Developing such tools is resource-intensive and often only suitable for highly flexible components. In addition, many engineers need design scripting skills, which directly affect their ability to fully utilise these tools.

Want to see how design automation can revolutionize your workflow? Join us at Formnext 2024, where we’ll be showcasing some of our design configurators and their applications!