An open source part cost estimation tool for MDO purposes

Within Multi-Disciplinary Optimization (MDO), multiple disciplines of a part or product are evaluated in
order to determine the performance in these disciplines . Manufacturing cost is not a discipline usually
evaluated in an MDO analysis. However for aircraft part and component manufacturers manufacturing cost
is one of the most important performance indicators because it directly affects the profitability of such
companies. Cost is often not included because no cost evaluation tool is available. In this paper a cost estimation tool is presented that relates geometric features to recurring manufacturing cost. The tool uses only data from the public domain and will be open source to ensure anyone can use it, improve it and include manufacturing
cost in their MDO frameworks.