| Excessive energy consumption has become a worldwide issue in today's design and manufacturing industry. A framework for estimating energy consumption that could later be used to integrate with CAD/CAM systems is in demand.;This research develops an energy estimation framework which can be attached with various energy computational tools for calculating energy consumptions during a product life-cycle, i.e., from extraction of raw materials, design and manufacturing, use, to recycling or disposal phases. The study first reviews literature and background in related areas. Then the approach of developing the framework is illustrated following software development life cycle (SDLC) steps. The framework aims to be domain independent and flexible so that it will be expandable for different manufacturing domains and customizable for users. Details of the framework and its computational tools in each phase are presented afterwards. Interaction between framework and its computational tools are also discussed. At last, test cases of industrial products are conducted to test the validity and evaluate the performance of the framework. The total energy consumption during their life cycle will be calculated. Such estimation can be used to re-design the part and assemblies for energy efficiency.;With help of this framework, knowledge engineers who exert to integrate knowledge into computer systems can interpret domain-specific knowledge and share their expertise to improve the framework. The framework also assists users who have little knowledge about energy computations to estimate energy consumptions during the design stage. Energy estimations in each phase and during whole product life cycle can be made and energy efficiency of products can be improved by utilizing this framework. |
