Software Tool for Evaluation of Environmental Indicators Using CAD Models Early in the Design Cycle

Design for Environment (DfE) has become an important consideration in design processes in various industries. However, designers are typically burdened by product functionality and cost reduction objectives. The complexity of environmental analyses of designs makes the implementation of DfE principles that much harder. Software tools that perform quick estimates of the environmental impact for a given design option will assist designers in developing products that are environmentally friendly. The near universal adoption of CAD software packages for product design means that CAD models provide us with a valuable source of information for developing such tools. The paper proposes a design for a software tool that will generate quantitative indicators using volume and material data from CAD models. The indicators are generated with minimal input from the designer and are intended to enable the comparison of multiple design options. The availability of these indicators is intended to promote environmentally responsible design by minimizing content levels of restricted substance and the environmental cost of production. The paper discusses the data sources required, the database design, calculation methodology and two possible software architectures for the software tool.