Haptic modeling in rapid product development

Abstract

This paper presents an integrated product development platform. Haptic modeling, due to its growing applications to different aspects of product development, is envisioned as the core technology for the proposed rapid product development platform. Since haptic modeling is developed based on physical laws, it is anticipated as the natural link between the virtual world and practical applications. In the proposed platform, haptic devices are used as the central mechanisms for reverse engineering, shape modeling, virtual prototyping, machining tool path planning and tolerance inspection path planning. The hardware system is constructed by attaching a digitizing probe to a haptic device Phantom®. This configuration enables the force guided digitization in reverse engineering. When a three dimensional computer model is constructed by either haptic shape modeling or reverse engineering, both tool path planning and coordinate measuring machine (CMM) tolerance inspection path planning can be carried out in a haptic environment. Physical models can be made by either computer numerical controlled machining or rapid prototyping machines.