Functional features for design in mechanical engineering

Abstract The usage of features is one way to come to more sophisticated CAD systems. Features for the design process appear to be most useful if they contain information related to functions and are thus able to support the design engineer in his functional considerations which are obviously of great importance within the design process. In the conception presented here features are used as “vehicles” to introduce functional aspects into CAD systems and CAD techniques. Thus these features might become the still missing link between design theory (design methodology) and CAD techniques. Moreover, the introduction of functional aspects into CAD systems could open up a new range of functionalities for the CAD systems themselves, because capacities like automatic classification or functional simulation can greatly profit from or even only be accomplished by processing functional information.