Requirements analysis in the implementation of integrated PLM, ERP and CAD systems

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) system implementation is a major investment when the technology is used in manufacturing companies. This paper provides an analysis of the requirements for the integration of PLM systems with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems incorporating the design aspects of Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) within the product development process. PLM implementation deals with various existing product data and information generated over years both from CAD and ERP systems. Data integration is very challenging and has important impact on future decisions while creating new processes. The information management plays very important role not only in PLM implementation but also in the way this will be used in future production. Therefore it is very important to analyse how product information is transferred to PLM system. It also need to be investigated that what, when and how the data will flow from and to PLM systems

A Product Life Cycle Ontology for Additive Manufacturing

The manufacturing industry is evolving rapidly, becoming more complex, more interconnected, and more geographically distributed. Competitive pressure and diversity of consumer demand are driving manufacturing companies to rely more and more on improved knowledge management practices. As a result, multiple software systems are being created to support the integration of data across the product life cycle. Unfortunately, these systems manifest a low degree of interoperability, and this creates problems, for instance when different enterprises or different branches of an enterprise interact. Common ontologies (consensus-based controlled vocabularies) have proved themselves in various domains as a valuable tool for solving such problems. In this paper, we present a consensus-based Additive Manufacturing Ontology (AMO) and illustrate its application in promoting re-usability in the field of dentistry product manufacturing

Integration sequencing in complex manufacturing systems

The integration and test phase of complex manufacturing machines, like an ASML lithographic machine, are expensive and time consuming. The tests that can be performed at a certain point within the integration phase depend on the modules that are integrated. Therefore, the test sequence depends on the integration sequence. Thus, by optimizing the integration sequence of these modules, more tests can be done in parallel and valuable integration and test time can be reduced. In this paper, we introduce a mathematical model to describe an integration sequencing problem and we propose an algorithm to solve this problem optimally. Furthermore, we propose two heuristics to solve large industrial problems in limited computation time. Also, we show with a case study within the development of a lithographic machine that the described method can be used to solve real-life problems. TANGRAM, test strategy, test sequencing, manufacturing machines, semiconductor industry, integration sequencing

The influencing mechanism of manufacturing scene change on process domain knowledge reuse

It is necessary for a enterprise to reuse outside process domain knowledge to develop intelligent manufacturing technology. The key factors influencing knowledge reuse in digital manufacturing scene are manufacturing activities and PPR (Products, Processes and Resources) related to knowledge modeling, enterprise and integrated systems related to knowledge utilizing. How these factors influence knowledge modeling and utilizing is analyzed. Process domain knowledge reuse across the enterprises consists of knowledge reconfiguration and integrated application with CAx systems. The module-based knowledge model and loosely-coupled integration application of process domain knowledge are proposed. The aircraft sheet metal process domain knowledge reuse is taken as an example, and it shows that the knowledge reuse process can be made flexible and rapid

An investigation into the effects of computer integrated manufacturing systems in the productivity of SMEs in Pakistan

The current dynamic and turbulent manufacturing environment has forced companies that compete globally to change their traditional methods of conducting business [Producer to consumer]. Recent developments in manufacturing and business operations have lead to the adoption of Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) technologies that are based on systems and processes that support global competitiveness, especially for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Organizations and SMEs in particular need to re-evaluate every aspect of their manufacturing strategy and quickly move towards a CIM based environment where manufacturing technologies, business strategies and processes are integrated together. This paper highlights the development of a CIM adoption model that has resulted from empirical work generated from SMEs in Pakistan. The model consists of the parameters such as Top Management Support, System Integration, Marketing, and over all performance

A front-end system to support cloud-based manufacturing of customised products

In today’s global market, customized products are amongst an important means to address diverse customer demand and in achieving a unique competitive advantage. Key enablers of this approach are existing product configuration and supporting IT-based manufacturing systems. As a proposed advancement, it considered that the development of a front-end system with a next level of integration to a cloud-based manufacturing infrastructure is able to better support the specification and on-demand manufacture of customized products. In this paper, a new paradigm of Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS) environment is introduced and highlights the current research challenges in the configuration of customizable products. Furthermore, the latest development of the front-end system is reported with a view towards further work in the research

The Management of Manufacturing-Oriented Informatics Systems Using Efficient and Flexible Architectures

Industry and in particular the manufacturing-oriented sector has always been researched and innovated as a result of technological progress, diversification and differentiation among consumers' demands. A company that provides to its customers products matching perfectly their demands at competitive prices has a great advantage over its competitors. Manufacturing-oriented information systems are becoming more flexible and configurable and they require integration with the entire organization. This can be done using efficient software architectures that will allow the coexistence between commercial solutions and open source components while sharing computing resources organized in grid infrastructures and under the governance of powerful management tools.Manufacturing-Oriented Informatics Systems, Open Source, Software Architectures, Grid Computing, Web-Based Management Systems

Realising the open virtual commissioning of modular automation systems

To address the challenges in the automotive industry posed by the need to rapidly manufacture more product variants, and the resultant need for more adaptable production systems, radical changes are now required in the way in which such systems are developed and implemented. In this context, two enabling approaches for achieving more agile manufacturing, namely modular automation systems and virtual commissioning, are briefly reviewed in this contribution. Ongoing research conducted at Loughborough University which aims to provide a modular approach to automation systems design coupled with a virtual engineering toolset for the (re)configuration of such manufacturing automation systems is reported. The problems faced in the virtual commissioning of modular automation systems are outlined. AutomationML - an emerging neutral data format which has potential to address integration problems is discussed. The paper proposes and illustrates a collaborative framework in which AutomationML is adopted for the data exchange and data representation of related models to enable efficient open virtual prototype construction and virtual commissioning of modular automation systems. A case study is provided to show how to create the data model based on AutomationML for describing a modular automation system

A Distributed-Ledger, Edge-Computing Architecture for Automation and Computer Integration in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Contemporary 300mm semiconductor manufacturing systems have highly automated and digitalized cyber-physical integration. They suffer from the profound problems of integrating large, centralized legacy systems with small islands of automation. With the recent advances in disruptive technologies, semiconductor manufacturing has faced dramatic pressures to reengineer its automation and computer integrated systems. This paper proposes a Distributed- Ledger, Edge-Computing Architecture (DLECA) for automation and computer integration in semiconductor manufacturing. Based on distributed ledger and edge computing technologies, DLECA establishes a decentralized software framework where manufacturing data are stored in distributed ledgers and processed locally by executing smart contracts at the edge nodes. We adopt an important topic of automation and computer integration for semiconductor research & development (R&D) operations as the study vehicle to illustrate the operational structure and functionality, applications, and feasibility of the proposed DLECA software framewor