Computer-aided embodiment design through the hybridization of mono objective optimizations for efficient innovation process Alessandro Cardillo a , Gaetano Cascini a, *, Francesco Frillici b , Federico Rotini b a Politecnico di Milano, Dipartimento di Meccanica, Milano, Italy b Universita ` degli Studi di Firenze, Dip. di Meccanica e Tecn. Ind.li, Italy 1. Introduction A traditional classification of product development phases distinguishes three major stages of an engineering design process: conceptual design, embodiment design, and detailed design [1]. Pahl and Beitz consider conceptual design as ‘‘a search across an ill- defined space of possible solutions, using fuzzy objective functions and vague concepts of the structure of the final solution’’. According to this classification, embodiment design operates with a selected (during the conceptual design stage) initial design configuration and aims to further specify the subsets form in the whole system. Nevertheless, in order to be competitive in current markets, companies must combine the capability to propose innovative products and services with efficient development processes. In this perspective, the authors think that the vision of Pahl and Beitz on conceptual design needs to be updated, since a proper identifica- tion of the design goal, as well as a formalization of the project constraints, are necessary to reduce, since the very beginning of the innovation process, waste of time and resources through useless trials and errors. Besides, the efficacy and the efficiency of the innovation process are highly impacted also by the adoption of suitable methods and tools in the embodiment design stage, i.e. that part of the design process in which, starting from the working structure or concept of a technical system, the design is developed, in accordance with technical and economic criteria, to the point where subsequent design can lead directly to production [1]. Computers have gained more and more importance for product development since the dissemination of the first prototype CAD systems in aerospace industry. Nowadays, they play a crucial role in any industry in detail design tasks, as well as for planning production activities. The so called PLM (product lifecycle management) systems claim to support any stage of product development. In fact, they are extending their domain of application upwards the preliminary phases of design and by embedding more abstracts representations of the product (Fig. 1, continuous arrows), but still they are far from systematizing inventive design phases and the link between the development of a conceptual solution and the definition of the product geometry. Recently, computer-aided innovation (CAI) systems have started addressing these lacks [2], but the domain borders of this emerging technology are still fuzzy and in any case CAI systems suffer of limited interoperability with downstream CAx tools [3]. Thus, a relevant research topic to improve the efficiency of the innovation process is the development of computer-based means for bridging conceptual design with existing PLM systems and the detail design phase, i.e. the extension of the CAI domain towards the embodiment design (Fig. 1, dashed arrows). The present paper describes the research outcome of the authors in this field, and more specifically the development of a semi-automated procedure for conducting the embodiment design phase, through the hybridization of mono objective optimizations. Since the goal of this research is improving both effectiveness and efficiency of embodiment design, it is worth positioning this Computers in Industry 62 (2011) 384–397 ARTICLE INFO Article history: Available online 20 January 2011 Keywords: Embodiment design Computer-aided innovation Optimization systems PLM TRIZ ABSTRACT Current product lifecycle management (PLM) systems properly support the development of a product from the embodiment design stage to detail design and manufacturing phases; on the contrary, marginal support is provided to the earliest stages of conceptual design. Besides, the front end of product development is supported by an emerging technology, namely computer-aided innovation systems (CAI), which nevertheless are still poorly integrated with the following phases of the design process. The paper presents an original computer-based approach aimed at supporting embodiment design phases, which results very efficient for improving the interoperability of CAI and PLM systems and thus at extending the domain of application of these tools. The potential of the approach proposed by the authors is clarified through three exemplary case studies. ß 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: alessandro.cardillo@kaemart.it (A. Cardillo), gaetano.cascini@polimi.it (G. Cascini), francescosaverio.frillici@unifi.it (F. Frillici), federico.rotini@unifi.it (F. Rotini). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers in Industry journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compind 0166-3615/$ – see front matter ß 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.compind.2010.12.008