Compliant, nonrigid parts are widely used in many industries today. Existing variation simulation analysis on the manufacturing part focuses on orientation and position deviation with part shape errors being largely omitted. This is a valid approach for the rigid part, but it is unrealistic and can be problematic for the compliant part. In this study, a new methodology has been introduced to compliant assembly early phase design to generate various probable variated manufacturing parts that conform to predefined tolerance specification or meet the certain industrial requirement. The proposed method is based upon the novel idea of a parametric space envelope, a purpose-designed variation tool constructed from parametric curves. Variation of embedded manufacturing part is linked to and controlled by a compact set of envelope’s boundary control points. Part variation instances are generated by simulating the control points’ movement in a systematic and efficient way. Importantly, simulated variations can be visualized in 3-D virtual space to provide user insight into part variation. The proposed methodology can help identify assembly high-risk regions, select proper fixtures, guide assembly engineering changes, and optimize assembly operations. An industrial case study on a deformable vehicle door hinge plate is presented to illustrate the methodology. Note to Practitioners—This article is motivated by two acute problems encountered in geometric variation simulation analysis for compliant parts in the early design stage. First, form errors of the nonrigid part are not fully captured in existing methods. Second, variation visualization can significantly enhance understanding of the geometric variation effects, but it is difficult to achieve under existing approaches. Inspired by the idea of a parametric space envelope, this article proposes a new methodology by building a variation tool to aid the task. Under the proposal, the geometric variation of the compliant part is indirectly modeled through the constructed variation tool. This indirect modeling enables capturing intrapart interactions that are the major source of the inaccuracy of existing methods. The simulated geometric variation can be visualized through the variation tool. In addition, the developed method does not rely on historical manufacturing experience. This can be valuable for early stage designer when such production information is not available or expensive to get. Furthermore, the proposed method can be integrated into existing computer-aided design (CAD), computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), and computer-aided engineering (CAE) systems to improve overall design quality and reduce reliance on multiple physical prototyping.

中文翻译：

---

基于参数空间包络的合规零件早期变化仿真与可视化


当今许多行业都广泛使用合规的非刚性零件。现有的制造零件变化仿真分析主要集中于方向和位置偏差，而很大程度上忽略了零件形状误差。对于刚性部件来说，这是一种有效的方法，但它是不现实的，并且对于柔性部件来说可能会出现问题。在这项研究中，一种新的方法被引入到合规装配早期设计中，以生成符合预定义公差规范或满足特定工业要求的各种可能变化的制造零件。所提出的方法基于参数空间包络的新颖思想，这是一种由参数曲线构造的专门设计的变化工具。嵌入式制造零件的变化与一组紧凑的包络边界控制点相关联并受其控制。零件变化实例是通过以系统且有效的方式模拟控制点的运动来生成的。重要的是，模拟变化可以在 3D 虚拟空间中可视化，以便用户深入了解零件变化。所提出的方法可以帮助识别装配高风险区域、选择合适的夹具、指导装配工程变更并优化装配操作。提出了可变形车门铰链板的工业案例研究来说明该方法。从业者须知——本文的灵感源于早期设计阶段合规零件几何变化仿真分析中遇到的两个尖锐问题。首先，现有方法没有完全捕获非刚性零件的形状误差。其次，变化可视化可以显着增强对几何变化效应的理解，但在现有方法下很难实现。 受到参数化空间包络思想的启发，本文提出了一种新的方法，通过构建一个变化工具来辅助完成任务。根据该提案，通过所构建的变化工具间接对顺从部件的几何变化进行建模。这种间接建模能够捕获部分内的相互作用，这是现有方法不准确的主要原因。模拟的几何变化可以通过变化工具可视化。此外，所开发的方法不依赖于历史制造经验。当此类生产信息无法获得或获取成本高昂时，这对于早期设计师来说可能很有价值。此外，所提出的方法可以集成到现有的计算机辅助设计（CAD）、计算机辅助制造（CAM）和计算机辅助工程（CAE）系统中，以提高整体设计质量并减少对多个物理原型的依赖。