Thomas D. Hedberg

Enabling Smart Manufacturing Research and Development using a Product Lifecycle Test Bed

Smart manufacturing technologies require a cyber-physical infrastructure to collect and analyze data and information across the manufacturing enterprise. This paper describes a concept for a product lifecycle test bed built on a cyber-physical infrastructure that enables smart manufacturing research and development. The test bed consists of a Computer-Aided Technologies (CAx) Lab and a Manufacturing Lab that interface through the product model creating a “digital thread” of information across the product lifecycle. The proposed structure and architecture of the test bed is presented, which highlights the challenges and requirements of implementing a cyber-physical infrastructure for manufacturing. The novel integration of systems across the product lifecycle also helps identify the technologies and standards needed to enable interoperability between design, fabrication, and inspection. Potential research opportunities enabled by the test bed are also discussed, such as providing publicly accessible CAx and manufacturing reference data, virtual factory data, and a representative industrial environment for creating, prototyping, and validating smart manufacturing technologies.

Toward a Lifecycle Information Framework and Technology in Manufacturing

Industry has been chasing the dream of integrating and linking data across the product lifecycle and enterprises for decades. However, industry has been challenged by the fact that the context in which data is used varies based on the function / role in the product lifecycle that is interacting with the data. Holistically, the data across the product lifecycle must be considered an unstructured data-set because multiple data repositories and domain-specific schema exist in each phase of the lifecycle. This paper explores a concept called the Lifecycle Information Framework and Technology (LIFT). LIFT is a conceptual framework for lifecycle information management and the integration of emerging and existing technologies, which together form the basis of a research agenda for dynamic information modeling in support of digital-data curation and reuse in manufacturing. This paper provides a discussion of the existing technologies and activities that the LIFT concept leverages. Also, the paper describes the motivation for applying such work to the domain of manufacturing. Then, the LIFT concept is discussed in detail, while underlying technologies are further examined and a use case is detailed. Lastly, potential impacts are explored.

Interoperability: Linking Design and Tolerancing with Metrology

On October 30, 2014 the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved QIF v 2.0 (Quality Information Framework, version 2.0) as an American National Standard. Subsequently in early 2016 QIF version 2.1 was approved. This paper describes how the QIF standard models the information necessary for quality workflow across the full metrology enterprise. After a brief description of the XML ‘language’ used in the standard, the paper reports on how the standard enables information exchange among four major activities in the metrology enterprise (product definition; measurement planning; measurement execution; and the analysis and reporting of the quality data).

TOWARDS KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT FOR SMART MANUFACTURING

The need for capturing knowledge in the digital form in design, process planning, production, and inspection has increasingly become an issue in manufacturing industries as the variety and complexity of product lifecycle applications increase. Both knowledge and data need to be well managed for quality assurance, lifecycle-impact assessment, and design improvement. Some technical barriers exist today that inhibit industry from fully utilizing design, planning, processing, and inspection knowledge. The primary barrier is a lack of a well-accepted mechanism that enables users to integrate data and knowledge. This paper prescribes knowledge management to address a lack of mechanisms for integrating, sharing, and updating domain-specific knowledge in smart manufacturing. Aspects of the knowledge constructs include conceptual design, detailed design, process planning, material property, production, and inspection. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a methodology on what knowledge manufacturing organizations access, update, and archive in the context of smart manufacturing. The case study in this paper provides some example knowledge objects to enable smart manufacturing.

Promoting Model-Based Definition to Establish a Complete Product Definition

The manufacturing industry is evolving and starting to use 3D models as the central knowledge artifact for product data and product definition, or what is known as Model-based Definition (MBD). The Model-based Enterprise (MBE) uses MBD as a way to transition away from using traditional paper-based drawings and documentation. As MBD grows in popularity, it is imperative to understand what information is needed in the transition from drawings to models so that models represent all the relevant information needed for processes to continue efficiently. Finding this information can help define what data is common amongst different models in different stages of the lifecycle, which could help establish a Common Information Model. The Common Information Model is a source that contains common information from domain specific elements amongst different aspects of the lifecycle. To help establish this Common Information Model, information about how models are used in industry within different workflows needs to be understood. To retrieve this information, a survey mechanism was administered to industry professionals from various sectors. Based on the results of the survey a Common Information Model could not be established. However, the results gave great insight that will help in further investigation of the Common Information Model.

Gaps Analysis of Integrating Product Design, Manufacturing, and Quality Data in the Supply Chain Using Model-Based Defintion

Advances in information technology triggered a digital revolution that holds promise of reduced costs, improved productivity, and higher quality. To ride this wave of innovation, manufacturing enterprises are changing how product definitions are communicated - from paper to models. To achieve industrys vision of the Model-Based Enterprise (MBE), the MBE strategy must include model-based data interoperability from design to manufacturing and quality in the supply chain. The Model-Based Definition (MBD) is created by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) using Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools. This information is then shared with the supplier so that they can manufacture and inspect the physical parts. Today, suppliers predominantly use Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) and Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) models for these tasks. Traditionally, the OEM has provided design data to the supplier in the form of two-dimensional (2D) drawings, but may also include a three-dimensional (3D)-shape-geometry model, often in a standards-based format such as ISO 10303-203:2011 (STEP AP203). The supplier then creates the respective CAM and CMM models and machine programs to produce and inspect the parts. In the MBE vision for model-based data exchange, the CAD model must include product-and-manufacturing information (PMI) in addition to the shape geometry. Todays CAD tools can generate models with embedded PMI. And, with the emergence of STEP AP242, a standards-based model with embedded PMI can now be shared downstream. The on-going research detailed in this paper seeks to investigate three concepts. First, that the ability to utilize a STEP AP242 model with embedded PMI for CAD-to-CAM and CAD-to-CMM data exchange is possible and valuable to the overall goal of a more efficient process. Second, the research identifies gaps in tools, standards, and processes that inhibit industrys ability to cost-effectively achieve model-based-data interoperability in the pursuit of the MBE vision. Finally, it also seeks to explore the interaction between CAD and CMM processes and determine if the concept of feedback from CAM and CMM back to CAD is feasible. The main goal of our study is to test the hypothesis that model-based-data interoperability from CAD-to-CAM and CAD-to-CMM is feasible through standards-based integration. This paper presents several barriers to model-based-data interoperability. Overall, the project team demonstrated the exchange of product definition data between CAD, CAM, and CMM systems using standards-based methods. While gaps in standards coverage were identified, the gaps should not stop industrys progress toward MBE. The results of our study provide evidence in support of an open-standards method to model-based-data interoperability, which would provide maximum value and impact to industry.

Toward a Diagnostic and Prognostic Method for Knowledge-Driven Decision-Making in Smart Manufacturing Technologies

Making high-quality manufacturing decisions in real-time is difficult. Smart manufacturing requires sufficient knowledge be available to the decision maker to ensure the manufacturing system runs efficiently and effectively. This paper will present background information for managing and controlling decision-making and technological innovation. We present a process definition for decision-making that implements closed-loop diagnostic and prognostic control. Lastly, we discuss our emerging concept relative to smart manufacturing.

Developing an Activity Model for Selecting Dimensional-Metrology Systems in Inspection Planning

This paper describes an activity model that represents activities and information flow in dimensional metrology systems based on design information and measurement requirements from manufacturers. The purpose of developing the activity model is to facilitate measurement equipment selection rules and conformity decision rules development. The rules can be for users to plan a measurement process using functionally complex and highly capable dimensional measurement equipment and measurement software systems. This activity model provides a basis for developing a rule model as a part of the Quality Information Framework (QIF) standard.

Towards Identifying the Elements of a Minimum Information Model for Use in a Model-Based Definition

The Model-Based Enterprise (MBE) paradigm is being adopted by manufacturing companies in a variety of industries. Companies benefit from enhanced visualization, documentation, and communication capabilities when 3D annotated product definitions, or Model-Based Definitions (MBD) replace two-dimensional drawings throughout an enterprise. It is critical that product information, much of which is defined implicitly in drawings, is not lost in this transition. This presents a challenge to authors and translators of 3D models used through the product lifecycle. They must understand the semantics of the product information typically presented by a drawing then explicitly include this information, in a computer-interpretable form, in the MBD.The research study described in this paper seeks to discover what is the minimum set of required information to carry out all the tasks in a given workflow of a model-based enterprise. A survey was conducted across various industry sectors to identify the foundational elements of this Minimum Information Model (MIM) in selected workflows. This study identified the information used within the specific workflows, the capabilities of 3D CAD models to carry this information, and the implications for doing so.Copyright