A program in integrated design, NDE, and the manufacturing sciences at the Center for Nondestructive Evaluation is developing a system that assesses the inspectability and reliability of mechanical structures from a description of their geometry, materials, and performance requirements. Part of this effort involves using techniques of artificial intelligence (AI) to integrate the various components. An Intelligent Design Assistant (IDA) couples the design team to CAD, stress, inspectability and reliability models and provides expert advice on how to improve the performance and reliability of the manufactured part.