Introduction-

Design and manufacturing activities initially evolved as seperate activities, totally delinked from each other. Traditionally, the design department completed the drawing and specifications of the product and passed them to the manufacturing department to produce. Design and manufacturing activities have, therefore, been carried out sequentially rather than concurrently. This often encountered difficulties because the design engineers could not anticipate production problems and this lack of communication often resulted in loss of production. An innovative approach to design is therefore, essential for the product to compete successfully in the market through savings in material and production costs. This requires the design engineer to be knowledgeable about the interrelationship between material, design and manufacturing, as well as the overall economics involved in developing a product. A synthetic approach towards integration of design and manufacturing is therefore, essential for optimizing all elements of the integrated manufacturing system.