A knowledge system to support manufacturing knowledge during preliminary design

The integration of manufacturing knowledge into the product introduction process is presented as a knowledge management problem. Concurrent engineering techniques are highly effective in sharing manufacturing knowledge, particularly for the re-use of knowledge at the detail design stage when the geometry has been developed. This research considers the use of manufacturing knowledge in the earlier, preliminary stage of design where the geometry is not so developed and where development of manufacturing technology may be required. An exploratory case study was carried out with a manufacturer of gas turbine engines for the civil aviation market. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to investigate the manufacturing knowledge required and its format. Using a data-driven analysis, a thematic code was developed and three themes emerged: manufacturing impact, expressions of impact and knowledge type. These themes indicate the requirement for a hybrid social-technical system to support both the tacit and explicit elements of manufacturing knowledge. An indication of the maturity of the manufacturing process also emerged as a major requirement in order to synchronize manufacturing technology developments with future product requirements. A prototype knowledge system is now being developed to meet the requirements identified through the coding analysis. The specification of the system, which uses a combination of information and social systems, is discussed

An Approach to Implement Feature-Based Applications using Knowledge Aided Engineering Technology

Edited by René Soenen and Gustav J. Olling, Kluwer Academic Publisher

Intégration de modèles de caractéristiques (features) à une modélisation géométrique pour supporter l'analyse métiers

Ingénierie simultanée -- Conception de produit -- Approche par feature -- Problématiques -- Démarche et objectifs de recherche -- Définition des modèles géométriques -- L'organisation des données topologiques -- Le formalisme NIAM -- Date structure applied to product lifecycle -- Représentations des données métier -- Assiting designer using feature modeling for lifecycle