Abstract: Based pm this situation, a brand new concept, ideal functional material components (IFMC), will be presented. IFMC is designed with best functional use, and is constructed by continuously varying material composition, microstructure, non-homogeneous materials and homogeneous materials. One of the typical IFMC is heterogeneous material component, exhibiting continuously varying materials composition and microstructure, offering designers the advantages of tailoring structures and materials to meet a variety of property and performance requirements to suit the changing and demanding of environment. However, the wide variety of component geometry and topology, material combination and architecture poses a bewildering problem of design and manufacturing. Thus an appropriate, and furthermore innovative, theory and technique are proposed for the digital concurrent design and manufacturing (DCDM) of IFMC. With DCDM of IFMC, material composition and geometry as well as microstructure of the component can be digitally designed simultaneously, then the material and component, including its material structure and composition and three-dimensional shape, can be manufactured concurrently by means of the digital design information. In order to clarify the concept and connotation of DCDM, the states-of-the art and developing trends o mechanical manufacturing, material design and computational mechanics are analyzed, and the associated theories and methods are reviewed and explained. Apparently, it would come to true in the near future that IFMC be designed and manufactured as a building be done.

Key words: Digital concurrent design and manufacturing, Heterogeneous objects, Ideal functional material component, Layered manufacturing, Material design