Design and implementation of an integrated surface texture information system for design, manufacture and measurement

The optimised design and reliable measurement of surface texture are essential to guarantee the functional performance of a geometric product. Current support tools are however often limited in functionality, integrity and efficiency. In this paper, an integrated surface texture information system for design, manufacture and measurement, called “CatSurf”, has been designed and developed, which aims to facilitate rapid and flexible manufacturing requirements. A category theory based knowledge acquisition and knowledge representation mechanism has been devised to retrieve and organize knowledge from various Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) documents in surface texture. Two modules (for profile and areal surface texture) each with five components are developed in the CatSurf. It also focuses on integrating the surface texture information into a Computer-aided Technology (CAx) framework. Two test cases demonstrate design process of specifications for the profile and areal surface texture in AutoCAD and SolidWorks environments respectively

A Component-based Software Development and Execution Framework for CAx Applications

Digitalization of the manufacturing process and technologies is regarded as the key to increased competitive ability. The MZ-Platform infrastructure is a component-based software development framework, designed for supporting enterprises to enhance digitalized technologies using software tools and CAx components in a self-innovative way. In the paper we show the algorithm, system architecture, and a CAx application example on MZ-Platform. We also propose a new parametric data structure based on MZ-Platform

Enabled virtual and collaborative engineering coupling PLm system to a product data kernel

 Nowadays, the use of digital modelling through multiple CAx systems becomes more and more unquestionable. It allows many benefits (3D, automations, simulations, etc.) in spite of the fact that those different systems are individually used and are relatively isolated (i.e. not interoperable) during the product design process. Then more enhancement of product development might be possible if the whole design expertises (and IT applications), could collaborate dynamically (i.e. interoperate) in a complete virtual and collaborative engineering platform. For instance, product definition could be therefore seen as the synthesis of multidisciplinary information defined and assessed with respect to both collaborative activity and individual domain of expertise. At the same time, PDM/PLM systems are developed in most of cases as product data vault (product data referential of a company with internal PDM or projects collaborative referential with collaborative engineering platform). Nevertheless, current PLM are not able to manage more than only files (and not data breakdown) and then are not yet efficient for CAx systems interoperability. The paper aims at giving some first concepts and software demonstrators in order to tackle the problem of interoperability in virtual engineering design. The proposal is based on the PPO data kernel: a dynamic data structure able to integrate and merge multidisciplinary product data breakdown and to exchange them with other CAx applications. Then the current PDM/PLM systems will be defined as one of the CAx systems which interoperate with the kernel to benefit of both PLM and CAx potential functionalities. A business case will be studied between the PPO product data kernel and the Windchill (from PTC vendor) PLM system. Some recommendations for future work are then discussed to present what could be a generic interoperable software platform.