Carlos Alberto Costa

Product range models supporting design knowledge reuse

Abstract Redesign, where previous information is recovered in order to be adapted to a new situation, is an area of design where information technology can potentially provide substantial benefits. Information support to product design and manufacturing has been pursued through the use of product and manufacturing models. This paper introduces a new concept of a complementary information model, called a product range model, that aims to support variant and adaptive design activities. The general concept and structure of such an information model is defined in terms of product functions and their respective design solutions. The interactions taking place between particular design solution options are discussed, and methods are proposed for their evaluation against product specifications and design constraints. The concept of knowledge links is introduced to maintain the relationships between solutions within the product range model and the particular model of the product being developed. The work has been explored using injection mould tooling as an appropriate product range and evaluated through the design and implementation of a design support system utilizing an object-oriented database.

The application of UML and an open distributed process framework to information system design

Abstract The development of information systems to support design and manufacturing activities should follow a reference model in order to be compatible with major systems architectures. In contrast, computational methodologies and notations provide ways to design and build information systems but usually do not take reference models into consideration. This paper discusses how reference models and computational methodologies/notation can be used in harmony, and demonstrates this through an example of an information system design where Unified Modelling Language (UML) diagrams are applied to represent the Reference Model of Open Distributed Processing (RM-ODP) viewpoints. A selected set of UML diagrams has been applied in the Enterprise, Information and Computational RM-ODP viewpoint. The inherent object-oriented properties of the reported research further enable and facilitate the migration of essential elements from one RM-ODP viewpoint to another via the use of UML notation. This approach provides an important contribution by harmonising a range of views of an information system.

Assessment of a Product Range Model concept to support design reuse using rule based systems and case based reasoning

Knowledge reuse is recognised as a key element to support agile and effective decision-making processes during product development. The provision of information and knowledge for reuse relies on defined information structures and requires computational techniques that enable the reuse process within an integrated environment. Although, representing, saving, and sharing information is relatively well known for product modelling, it is accepted that effective and agile product development also requires knowledge sharing. For this reason, extensions of the Product Model structure are required to support specific product development process phases. This work argues that a product information model combined with extended knowledge models can provide decision support throughout the product development phases. This paper presents the results of an investigation into a specific extended knowledge model concept, named a Product Range Model (PRM), which combines both rule based systems and case based reasoning to provide product design decision support. Two product development scenarios, injection moulding and friction materials, have been selected in order to evaluate the ideas presented. For both applications the relevance of the models to support the capture and reuse of information and knowledge is stressed.

Manufacturing information interactions in data model driven design

Abstract This paper presents a novel view of a software environment that has the potential to provide manufacturing information support to product design in line with the aims of concurrent engineering. The arguments developed should have significant consequences for future computer aided engineering (CAE) systems development and support the continuing globalization in business development. The approach taken has at the centre of its philosophy the need to provide designers with high-quality information on which to base their decisions. The concept of an information supported product design environment is not new, but a range of issues related to information interactions has yet to be resolved. This paper explores the use of information models to support functional and manufacturing interactions in design as well as the issues that are raised in attempting to support multiple views in design for manufacture. The design of injection moulded products is used as the focus against which the ideas in the paper are explored.

Rapid Prototyping Material Degradation: a Study of Mechanical Properties

Abstract This work presents a study on rapid prototyping material degradation through the time. The material degradation used was Veroblue840 resin from Objet and was analyzed by its mechanical properties. Two types of tests were realized: tensile strength test (standard tests ASTM) and an experimental cantilever beam. The specimens were tested with 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 days aging. Mechanical properties such as tensile strength, Youngs modulus, strain at Yield Point and deformation (microstrains) were analyzed. Results show the aging degradation process was not linear through the time, being more accentuated at the first 30 days.

Análise das relações dos elementos de alinhamento estratégico entre negócio e tecnologia de informação com o processo de desenvolvimento de produto

O produto e a representacao final das capacidades e competencias de uma empresa na tentativa de converter ideias, conceitos e percepcoes em algo concreto. Portanto, desenvolver produtos constitui-se em uma tarefa complexa e decisiva para as empresas, requerendo definicao de objetivos estrategicos e uso intensivo de tecnologias principalmente de tecnologia da informacao (TI). Na busca por melhoria continua e garantia da operacao continuada e crescente de seus negocios, as organizacoes tem adotado tecnicas de gestao cada vez mais sofisticadas, como a promocao de alinhamento estrategico (AE) entre este importante e critico processo de negocio - desenvolvimento de produtos - com as tecnologias da informacao disponiveis para suportar um processo que atenda ao dinamismo dos mercados. Por isso, este artigo explora as relacoes dos elementos de AE sob uma nova perspectiva, ou seja, compreender o AE entre negocio e TI dentro de um processo especifico de negocio - o processo de desenvolvimento de produtos (PDP) -, sob a otica dos seguintes modelos de referencia: desenvolvimento de produto de Rozenfeld et al. (2006), alinhamento estrategico de Henderson e Venkatraman (1993) e direcionadores estrategicos de Luftman, Lewis e Oldach (1993). Para tanto, foi desenvolvido um estudo de caso multiplo em tres empresas do setor industrial situadas no sul do pais, cujos dados foram coletados em entrevistas semiestruturadas, anotacoes e observacoes diretas. A tecnica de mapas conceituais foi utilizada com o proposito de homogeneizar conceitos relacionados com AE e PDP entre os participantes de cada caso. Por meio de analise de conteudo, categorica e da codificacao de todos os dados qualitativos, foi possivel identificar elementos de AE e suas relacoes, os quais podem interferir no ciclo do PDP. Os principais resultados mostram a existencia de elementos de AE ao longo do PDP, intensidades variadas de relacionamento entre os elementos de AE e os do PDP, relacoes dependentes da escolha estrategica da empresa - ser lider ou seguidora - e o carater estrategico ou operacional do PDP como sendo direcionado tanto por elementos de AE quanto por elementos de TI. Dada a nao homegeneidade do AE nas diferentes fases do PDP, uma das principais contribuicoes desta pesquisa pode ser uma nova forma de avaliacao da promocao de AE no PDP, bem como o seu desalinhamento, dentro das organizacoes.

A combined knowledge and information infrastructure to support product development

The provision of infrastructures, which can support co-operation and sharing across product development, is critical for effective virtual enterprises. The concept of a Product Model is well accepted as an integrating infrastructure, capturing information about a specific product. In this paper an information-knowledge model, termed a Product Range Model, is described which supports the reuse of information and knowledge in product development. The detailed relationships between design information and knowledge in this model and its interaction with product model structures are discussed. Injection moulding is used, as an example, to highlight the way that combined information-knowledge infrastructures can be constructed to support the product development process within a virtual enterprise.

Influence of mould material on ceramic disc dimensions in low-pressure injection moulding

This work presents a study regarding the influence of the cooling process, as a result of different mould insert materials, on ceramic parts dimensions obtained by low-pressure injection moulding process. Discs of ceramic with Ø80 × 2 mm, composed by 86 wt.% alumina (Al2O3) and 14 wt.% organic vehicle, were produced. An experimental injection mould was designed and manufactured with built-in heating and cooling systems, controlled by a DAQ (Measurement Computing – USB-TC) and thermocouples K type. Four types of insert materials were used: aluminium alloy (AA7075-T6), electrolytic copper, brass alloy (C36000) and SAE1045 steel. Tests were carried out considering injection moulding parameters constant, i.e. initial mould temperature, injection pressure and time and extraction temperature. All the post-process (debinding by wicking; final debinding and sintering) parameters were also kept constant. Parts were analysed considering dimensions, mass, geometry, visual aspects and defects. The results showed that the cooling rate resulting from the thermal conductivity of each material has influenced more significantly the dimensional shrinkage and mass reduction of the samples during the intermediate post-processes phases. The geometric deviations were different for each condition throughout the process and they increased in the final parts. The parts produced with higher cooling rate had higher geometric deviations.

ESTUDO DE CASO DOS IMPACTOS DA CRISE GLOBAL NOS CRITÉRIOS COMPETITIVOS ESTRATÉGICOS DE EMPRESAS

No segundo semestre de 2008 iniciou a crise economica que provocou a influencia nos resultados organizacionais de diversas empresas. Os gestores tiveram que ser ageis em analise, para decidir em quais criterios competitivos as empresas estavam ameacadas e definir estrategias para estas permanecerem no mercado globalizado. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi diagnosticar quais foram as acoes adotadas por duas empresas no periodo de crise, sob a otica dos criterios competitivos repensando suas estrategias de operacao. A metodologia utilizada foi classificada como pesquisa exploratoria (estudo de caso) atraves de entrevistas com questoes semi-estruturadas. Para esta pesquisa utilizou-se os cinco criterios competitivos abordados por Paiva et al (2004). Como objetos desta pesquisa foram selecionadas duas empresas exportadoras: uma do segmento de alimentos e outra de autopecas. Os resultados mostraram que apesar das diferencas de natureza e atuacao destas empresas, as mesmas apresentaram acoes com grau de significância comum e por ja terem estrategias definidas antes do periodo da crise foram afetadas superficialmente.

A aplicação da Linguagem de Modelagem Unificada (UML) para o suporte ao projeto de sistemas computacionais dentro de um modelo de referência

The development of information systems to support design and manufacturing activities should follow a reference model in order to be compatible with major systems architectures. RM-ODP (Reference Model Open Distributed Processing) provides five level viewpoints against which information systems development can be compared and classified. The RM-ODP does not dictate how the information system should be designed and implemented. Rather it highlights the content of the essential views of the system, which must be considered and hence facilitates comparison of alternatives systems. In contrast, computational methodologies provide ways to design and build information systems but usually do not take reference models into consideration. This paper shows how reference models and computational methodologies can be used in harmony, and demonstrates this through the application of a Use Case and UML combined methodology across the RM-ODP viewpoints. Injection mould design is used as an example to the UML representation diagrams.