Distributed VR for collaborative design and manufacturing

Virtual Manufacturing (VM) applies Virtual Reality (VR) technology to provide a digital manufacturing solution in both 3D visual and interactive ways. It makes VR no longer a state-of-the art but rather an innovation technology to support modern industry. With the rapid growth of network technology and Web 3D graphics techniques, we propose a cost-effective distributed VM system for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with limited equipment, funds and technical capabilities. The system enables SMEs to perform collaborative tasks including product design, manufacturing and resources sharing through the World Wide Web (WWW) in lower cost. This paper describes the design and critical integration issues of the system and the use of the Web 3D technology - X3D. It also evaluates the distributed VM system by comparing it to the conventional standalone CAD/CAM system

Distributed VR-based simulation for manufacturing

VR-based simulation has been applied to a wide range of industrial applications. The rapid development of networking and Internetworked 3D graphics techniques has already begun to foster the distributed VR-based simulation system. The WWW as the delivery mechanism has made the VR-based simulator widely available and affordable. In this paper, we propose a cost-effective approach to create distributed VR-based simulation systems for manufacturing applications. Using this approach, three VRML manufacturing simulators machining, process flow, factory layout, are described in detail. The current challenges of a distributed VR-based simulator are also discussed

E-manufacturing in networked virtual environments

E-manufacturing is a new generation of product development solution allows manufacturers all over the world to speed up and slim down everything from design to manufacturing. It has been employed in a wide range of manufacturing activities. Networked Virtual Environments (Net-VEs) have already begun to foster an insightful, intuitive and interactive system that allows effective communication among multiple users. After exploring the architecture and features of Net-VEs, a cost-effective approach to create an e-manufacturing system in Net-VEs is proposed in this paper. The World Wide Web (WWW) as the delivery mechanism has made such system widely available and affordable. We also evaluate an e-manufacting system in Net-VEs by comparison with a traditional product development approach