The Use of Parametric Structure Modelling in the Design Process

Automation of processes related to design and manufacturing is one of the essential goals of most manufacturing companies. The use of modern computer-aided design systems CAD allows partial automation of such processes. The parametric model can be built in some CAD systems. In the parametric model, selected dimensions are treated as control parameters. By changing the values of these parameters, we can control the remaining geometrical dimensions of the model. These dimensions can be associated with linear control parameters using mathematical relationships. Parameterization allows you to associate a geometric model with a mathematical model and allows you to automatically make changes to all elements associated with the currently modified parameter. When working on a non-parameterized model, the changes in the modelled object must be applied separately for each part and subassembly of which it is composed. In a parametric model, changing one parameter entails changes in other parameters dependent on it. Parameterization of the model allows its use for further modification of the designed structure related to customer requirements, even for that very complex, as well as accelerating the design process itself. The article presents a three-dimensional geometric model of a boat davit created with the use of the Siemens NX 9.0 software. In the work, the geometry of the crane model was parameterized for the assumed values of its height and reach. As a result of parametric modelling, the values of the individual geometric dimensions of the device’s structure elements and their mass were obtained. It was justified that thanks to the use of parameterized models, the time of design and construction processes can be significantly reduced, which makes the process more efficient.