A Hybrid Expert System for Estimation of the Manufacturability of a Notional Design
Table 1
Cost criteria.
Criterion
Description/“cost-theme”
Sustainability
Costs associated with environmental impact, personnel safety, and long-term sustainability
Material availability
Costs associated with how easy or difficult it is to acquire the components and raw materials the design calls for
Process difficulty and experience
Costs associated with the maturity and robustness of the salient manufacturing processes
Industrial-base experience and capability gaps
Costs associated with how available the industrial pipelines, infrastructure, and environments are that support the salient manufacturing processes and production pipeline
Labor and workforce
Costs associated with the challenge of acquiring personnel of the required quantity and quality
Facilities and equipment
Costs associated with locating and equipping manufacturing facilities