Jihoon Kim
I’m an AI Researcher at Narnia Labs and a Ph.D. student in Mechanical Engineering at KAIST, advised by Prof. Namwoo Kang at Smart Design Lab.
My research makes generative design manufacturable—embedding real-world manufacturing constraints into AI-driven design, so optimized components can actually be mass-produced.
research
Generative design has revolutionized how engineers explore design possibilities, yet a fundamental gap remains: most generated designs cannot be manufactured at scale. The intricate geometries from topology optimization and deep generative models often require additive manufacturing—poorly suited for mass production.
My research bridges this gap by embedding manufacturing constraints directly into the generative process. A key insight is that complex 3D manufacturing constraints can be elegantly captured through 2D depth representations, making AI-based design both computationally tractable and aligned with processes like die casting and injection molding.
selected publications
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Deep Generative Design for Mass Production2024AI-generated designs often can’t be mass-produced. This work converts 3D design problems into 2D depth images, embedding manufacturing constraints directly into the generative process—producing designs ready for die casting or injection molding.
