Overview of Exact Constraint Machine Design
Doug Blanding, Corning Incorporated; Chris Muir, Eastman Kodak Company

The design process typically occurs in two phases: a concept phase, characterized by thinking which is creative and qualitative in nature, and a refining phase during which analytical and quantitative tools are used to refine the result. Often, these phases will overlap or require iteration before arriving at a satisfactory solution. There are very few tools available to the designer to guide his/her thinking during the qualitative phase. Exact Constraint (XC) is such a qualitative mechanical design tool.

This tutorial presents an overview of the XC approach. Central to the XC approach is the representation of mechanical connections in terms of spatial patterns of R-lines (kinematic degrees of freedom) and C-lines (constraints). This technique for representing connections applies to machines of all types and sizes, to both mechanisms and structures. Once expressed as a spatial pattern of lines, techniques will be presented for analyzing direct, cascaded, and compound connections. The notion of equivalent, complementary patterns of C-lines and R-lines will also be introduced and explored. These techniques will enable the designer to quickly and efficiently synthesize high performance mechanical configurations to meet arbitrary requirements, and also to quickly analyze existing designs. Registered tutorial participants will receive a copy of the book "Exact Constraint: Machine Design Using Kinematic Principles" by Blanding.

This tutorial is appropriate for anyone who has an interest in the design of machines.