Formal language for the design of manufacturable objects

A formal grammar is presented for the generation of objects known to be manufacturable. It is suggested that the constraints inherent in manufacturing require greater flexibility than that provided by the use of shape labels in standard shape grammar formalisms. To incorporate these constraints a variant of the parametric shape grammar formalism is extended to include attributed shape labels, and rule application is then restricted to those shapes satisfying constraints on the parameter values and attribute values. A simplified lathe is presented as a vehicle for these ideas, and the development of a grammar which specifies the language of shapes able to be manufactured on that lathe is then discussed. An example generation of an object within the language is presented, followed by some thoughts on the implications of this work for future research in computer-aided design.