New parametric concept to product customization

Abstract

Parametric design methods are often used for the customization of geometric forms. In this paper, parametric design is approached from a different perspective. A fuzzy logic approach is developed to describe the geometry of a parametric model. Instead of using numerical numbers to describe a set of dimensions, the proposed method accepts imprecise linguistic input, such as large, small or medium large. The simplicity of such description facilitates and attracts even the unprofessional designers, or even household customers when such a system is available on the Internet. To demonstrate the proposed concept and method, a fuzzy parametric design program of wine glass is implemented. Both fuzzy description and numerical input are available and the preferred input is selectable by the user. When fuzzy input is selected, fuzzy reasoning is used to deduce the unimportant parameters so that a solid model of the wine glass can be generated in Solid Works. Physical prototypes of a few wine glass designs are fabricated using rapid prototyping technologies.