Abstract

An important relationship exists during the design process between the industrial design (the object), the user, the context, the client, and the manufacturer. In this relationship, the designer act as coordinator, balancing both the needs and the constraints for proposing « the solution ». Before achieving the possible solution, the project requires numerous evaluations and verifications, including ergonomic analysis. Today, several tools are used to carry out these ergonomic-related evaluations and validations. In this process, models, sketches, prototypes and CAD tools might be used. However, researchers and practitioners still look for better ways to integrate knowledge about ergonomic analysis and CAD tools into the design process. Advanced software and several tools for ergonomic simulation have been developed to give designers the opportunity to work with computer-generated manikins and body templates during the process of ergonomics analysis. Our research examines the effects of the use of CAD tools during the ergonomic analysis of the design processes. The study includes a review of literature and knowledge gained in the field, particularly focusing on the definitions of industrial design, ergonomics and CAD. Following this, the analysis of four cases studies is presented. From the analysis of the literature and the case studies, it is possible to claim now that a full integration of CAD tools in the ergonomic analysis is not only possible but also beneficial for the design process.