STADIUM: a new tool for design for manufacturability through the use of statistical simulation

Engineers have used simulation for product design for a number of years but only recently have the tools been in existence to aim new designs for manufacturability. This paper concentrates on coupling practical optimization techniques (based on a design of experiments methodology) to conventional simulators for the purpose of characterizing component and system performance in terms of manufacturing variables. This is accomplished with the aid of a software tool called STADIUM which is described in detail.