This paper introduces a design tool that provides customised engineering analysis functionalities for a manufacturer of metal frames. This work is motivated by the need for supporting small to medium scale enterprises (SMEs) with affordable computer aided analysis tools. The design process followed by a SME, Wright Metal Products of Simpsonville, SC, primarily depends on special expertise of a few key individuals who design products based on past experience, augmented by trial and error.

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... sing that this is an inefficient, time consuming, and expensive way of designing products and evaluating their performance, a specialised, simple, and affordable design enabler for engineering analysis is developed to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the design process.