Kevin K. Jurrens

Standards for the rapid prototyping industry

This paper proposes that development of formalized standards for the rapid prototyping (RP) industry will help enable the continued growth and further advancement of RP technologies. Appropriate standards can provide common methods for measuring the benefits and limitations of RP, as well as facilitate the transition of current advanced rapid manufacturing capabilities from the research laboratory to commercial products. Results and recommendations from a prior RP industry workshop at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in October 1997 form the basis for this discussion paper. This paper was presented as part of the 2nd Internet Conference on Rapid Prototyping to gather additional information and obtain further viewpoints regarding the need for and potential content of standards for the RP industry. An addendum is provided to summarize and analyze the results of the conference discussion.

Manufacturing planning and predictive process model integration using software agents

Intelligent agents provide a means to integrate various manufacturing software applications. The agents are typically executed in a computer-based collaborative environment, referred to as a multi-agent system. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a prototype multi-agent system supporting the integration of manufacturing planning, predictive machining models, and manufacturing control. The agents within this platform have access to a knowledge base, a manufacturing resource database, a numerical control programming system, a mathematical equation solving system, and a computer-aided design system. Intelligence has been implemented within the agents in rules that are used for process planning, service selection, and job execution. The primary purposes for developing such a platform are to support the integration of predictive models, process planning, and shop floor machining activities and to demonstrate an integration framework to enable the use of machining process knowledge with higher-level manufacturing applications.

An Additive Manufacturing Test Artifact

A test artifact, intended for standardization, is proposed for the purpose of evaluating the performance of additive manufacturing (AM) systems. A thorough analysis of previously proposed AM test artifacts as well as experience with machining test artifacts have inspired the design of the proposed test artifact. This new artifact is designed to provide a characterization of the capabilities and limitations of an AM system, as well as to allow system improvement by linking specific errors measured in the test artifact to specific sources in the AM system. The proposed test artifact has been built in multiple materials using multiple AM technologies. The results of several of the builds are discussed, demonstrating how the measurement results can be used to characterize and improve a specific AM system.

A proposed standards‐based approach for representing heterogeneous objects for layered manufacturing

Information models for the representation of product data are being developed as an international standard. However, the current application protocols focus on the representation of homogeneous objects only. This paper suggests an information model to represent heterogeneous objects using the information modeling methodology developed for ISO 10303. The data planning model is then extended to represent the two‐dimensional (2D) slice information using concepts from ISO 10303. The proposed formats are validated by physical realization of objects on two LM machines. This information model will help in providing a uniform base in the development of heterogeneous solid modeling systems. It will also equip the solid modeler with the ability to integrate with other applications and process planning in the domain of layered manufacturing.

Beyond product design data: data standards for manufacturing resources

Standards play an important part in an industry’s success or failure in the marketplace. They facilitate common markets, influence marketing patterns in global trade and augment the operations of distributed enterprises.

Intelligent agents-enabled integrated manufacturing planning and control

Intelligent agents provide a means to integrate various manufacturing software applications. The agents are typically executed in a computer-based collaborative environment, sometimes referred to as a multi-agent platform. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a prototype agent-based platform supporting the integration of manufacturing planning, predictive machining models, and manufacturing control. The agents within this platform have access to a knowledge base, a manufacturing resource database, a numerical control programming system, a mathematical equation solving system, and a computer-aided design system. Intelligence has been implemented within the agents in rules that are used for process planning, service selection, and job execution. The primary purposes for developing such a platform are to support the integration of predictive models, process planning, and shop floor machining activities and to demonstrate an integration framework to enable the use of machining process knowledge with higher-level manufacturing applications.