Thin part identification for CAD model classification

Nowadays, the use of computer-supported tools in the design activity is common practice, therefore the number of CAD models stored in industrial data-bases is continuously increasing. This in principle provides the support for the re-use of already de-signed parts in new products and the exploitation of previous knowledge to solve problems and perform more efficiently the required product development steps. Unfortunately, the capabilities provided by either PDM or PLM systems for indexing and sort-ing CAD models according to their content are quite limited. Thus, it is sometime faster to redesign a part than to try to find it in a database. Classifying parts is a first step to provide parts and knowledge re-use. In this paper, we focus on the characteriza-tion and classification of industrial parts with re-spect to the meshing issue, and notably the meshing of thin parts difficulty handled automatically and which often requires adaptation steps. The concepts of thin part and part with thin features are intro-duced together with the mechanisms and criteria used for their identification in CAD models. The proposed approach has been implemented and vali-dated.