This work presents a novel CACD/CAD/CAE integrated framework for design, modeling, and optimization of fiber-reinforced plastic parts, which can greatly enhance the current design practice by realizing partial automation and multi-stage optimization. To support this framework, a new heterogeneous feature model (HFM) has been developed to model the fiber-reinforced objects and to be transferred between engineering modules. To be specific, the CACD (computer-aided conceptual design) module employs the level-set structure and material optimization to produce the initial design with thickness control, and also the initial HFM; the CAD (computer-aided design) module allows manual editing on the HFM to reflect various design intents; then, the injection molding CAE (computer-aided engineering) simulates the manufacturing process, and the response surface method (RSM) is applied to optimize the process parameters of gate location, injection flow rate, mold temperature and melt temperature, to approach the manufactured fiber orientation distribution close to the optimized result produced by the CACD module; besides, the structural analysis CAE module generates the mechanical performance result to support the CACD module, as well as to validate the final design. By applying this framework, the final structural design including the fiber orientation distribution, will perform better in mechanical properties, and consume less matrix and fiber materials; besides, the design maturity can be approached in shorter time. To prove the effectiveness, a plastic gripper design will be comprehensively studied. the energy bilinear form elastic tensor elastic tensor of the matrix material elastic tensor of the fiber elastic tensor of the fiber after coordinate transformation normalization parameter of the global strength measure signed distance function design domain thickness-control functional forward and backward finite difference operators element index strain Young’s modulus of the matrix material Young’s modulus of the fiber along the longitudinal direction local grid node index within the element shape sensitivity density of the thickness-control functional length of the square feature Heaviside function grid node index optimization iteration index Two-dimension grid node index objective function of the level set structural and material optimization the load linear form Lagrange formulation of the optimization problem number of elements boundary unit vector pointing from the material domain outwards shape interpolation function of local grid node g weighted average orientation difference norm parameter body force boundary projection of Z global measure of the elastic energy density the elementary elastic energy density the maximum allowed value of local elastic energy density maximum elementary elastic energy density radius of the circle feature n-dimension space time targeted thickness transformation matrix displacement vector the space of kinematically admissible displacement field test vector velocity for normal boundary propagation adjoint variable gate location injection flow rate mold temperature melt temperature sample vector sample vector center point of shape features sample vector located on the structural boundary sample vector located on ray ∂ Ω Y volume ratio of the fiber shape sensitivity density parameters of the quadratic function adjustment parameter of the weighting factor μ Dirac Delta function Dirac Delta function for auxiliary fiber orientation control adjustment parameter of the penalization factor Λ fiber orientation local tangential direction of the level set contour initial fiber orientation before controlled by the auxiliary feature elementary fiber orientation of the simulation result elementary fiber orientation of the optimized result local boundary curvature the Lagrange multiplier weighting factor of the thickness-control functional Poisson ratio of the matrix material traction force control band width of the auxiliary feature penalization factor of the Lagrange multiplier λ the set of projections of X on ∂ Ω level set function primitive level set functions material domain boundary of the material domain 
A novel CACD/CAD/CAE integrated design framework for fiber-reinforced plastic parts