Integración de las funciones de programación de máquinas herramientas de control numérico mediante una aplicación orientada a objetos

Dentro de un entorno integrado de fabricación asistida por computador, el intercambio de información de fabricación entre los distintos sistemas CAX y los sistemas CNC presenta una serie de aspectos problemáticos: 1. En su gran mayoría, los sistemas CAX actuales no han sido diseñados para compartir información, por lo que disponen de una estructura de datos específica y cerrada. 2. Los distintos tipos de sistemas CAX operan sobre niveles de abstracción de información de producto y procesos distintos. 3. El intercambio de información de fabricación se realiza a nivel de trayectoria, y principalmente en código ISO. 4. Adicionalmente a las palabras APT, existe un grupo de palabras de postprocesador normalizadas que permiten traducir ciertas operaciones de mecanizado (operaciones de taladrado) a código ISO. Sin embargo, la implementación de estas palabras de postprocesador depende de cada sistema CAM, y adicionalmente, los patrones geométricos de localización y las operaciones de fresado no son soportadas. 5. Existe una carencia en la estandarización de las operaciones básicas de mecanizado. Dicha estandarización debería permitir el desarrollo de un protocolo para el intercambio de información a nivel de operaciones. Este protocolo sería la base para el intercambio de información de operaciones entre distintos sistemas CAM, y entre sistemas CAM y sistemas CNC, conduciendo a una mejora en la programación automática de las MHCN. Con objeto de mejorar estos aspectos problemáticos, en la Tesis se ha desarrollado un modelo de información a nivel de operaciones para procesos de taladrado y fresado. En el desarrollo de dicho modelo se ha adoptado la norma para representación e intercambio de información de producto ISO 10303-STEP. El modelo de información define una estructura de datos que se emplea posteriormente en el desarrollo de una aplicación orientada a objetos para la programación automática de MHCN a nivel de operaciones en formato STEP. La aplicación tiene como entrada información geométrica (vía ficheros STEP) e información tecnológica de los procesos (vía ficheros de procesos ASCII). La generación de estos ficheros se realiza en un sistema CAD/CAM comercial. XVII In the computer aided manufacturing integrated environment, some problematic issues arise in tiie exchange of manufacturing information between the different CAD/CAM systems and the CNC systems: 1. Currently, most of the CAX systems have not been developed to share information, due to that, these systems have a proprietary and specific data structure. 2. The current CAX systems operate on different levels of abstraction of the product and processes information. 3. The manufacturing information exchange is carried out at the toolpath level, and mainly in the ISO code. 4. In addition to the APT words, there is a group of standardized postprocessor words which allow to translate some machining operations (drilling ones) into ISO code. However, the implementation of these postprocessor words depends on each CAM system, and besides that the milling operations and the machining location patterns are not completely supported. 5. There is a lack in the standardization of the basic machining operations. Such standardization should allow to define a consistent protocol for the exchange of information at the machining operation level. This protocol should allow to exchange and share manufacturing processes information between dissimilar CAM systems, and between CAM systems and CNC systems as well. This way should led to an improvement in the CNC machine tool automatic programming. In order to improve these problematic issues, an information model on the operation level for drilling and milling processes has been developed in the Thesis. The standard ISO 10303-STEP for representation and exchange of product information has been adopted in the model development. This information model defines a data structure which is the basis for the later development of an object-oriented STEP based application. This prototype application can be used for the automatic programming of CNC machine tools in the operation level. The inputs to the application are STEP geometry files for the geometric information, and ASCII process files for the process technological information. These files are generated in a commercial CAD/CAM system

Collaborative Engineering: an Airbus case study

This document introduces the main concepts of Collaborative Engineering as a new methodology, procedures and tools to design and develop an aircraft, as Airbus Military is implementing. Airbus designs and industrializes aircrafts under Concurrent Engineering techniques since decades with success. The introduction of new PLM methodologies, procedures and tools, mainly in the industrialization areas, and the need to reduce time-to-market conducted Airbus Military to push the engineering teams to do things in a different way. Traditional Engineering works sequentially, Concurrent Engineering basically overlaps tasks between teams using maturity states and taking assuming risks. Collaborative Engineering promotes a single team to develop product, processes and resources from the conceptual phase to the start of the serial production. The deliverable of the team is an iDMU (industrial DMU), a complete definition and verification of the virtual manufacturing of the product

Implementation of the iDMU for an Aerostructure Industrialization in AIRBUS

AIRBUS Military has undertaken a project to implement the industrial Digital Mock-Up (iDMU) concept to support the industrialization process of a medium size aerostructure. Within the framework of a collaborative engineering strategy, such project is part of the efforts to deploy Digital Manufacturing as a key technology for the industrialization of aircrafts assembly lines. The project has confirmed the potential of the iDMU to improve the industrial design process in a collaborative engineering environment. This communication presents the main project objectives, the key methodological points, the main project achievements and the next additional developments to increase the scope and benefits of the iDMU concept

Inspection model and correlation functions to assist in the correction of qualitative defects of injected parts

To perform quality inspection in the injection process is a complex task due to high number of defects that could occur in an injected part and the high number of process parameters that could produce them. Injection defects, in particular qualitative ones, are not a clear reference to determine correct process parameter value setting to produce good quality parts. Research results show that the occurrence of each injection defect could be caused by specific parameters with values above or below an optimal one. Although this information is a guide for the defect correction, the effective correction of qualitative defects with parameter modifications is very complex. This is due to the problems that arise when transforming a qualitative defect into a quantitative inspection. This article shows an inspection model to assist the qualitative defect intensity classification using defect behavior tendency curves. These curves have been deduced from generic analytical relationships established between injection defects and injection process parameters. Conducted tests allow validating the approach and its initial effectiveness

Approach to integrate product conceptual design information into a computer-aided design system

Commercial computer-aided design systems support the geometric definition of product, but they lack utilities to support initial design stages. Typical tasks such as customer need capture, functional requirement formalization, or design parameter definition are conducted in applications that, for instance, support ?quality function deployment? and ?failure modes and effects analysis? techniques. Such applications are noninteroperable with the computer-aided design systems, leading to discontinuous design information flows. This study addresses this issue and proposes a method to enhance the integration of design information generated in the early design stages into a commercial computer-aided design system. To demonstrate the feasibility of the approach adopted, a prototype application was developed and two case studies were executed

Proposal for the Conceptual Design of Aeronautical Final Assembly Lines Based on the Industrial Digital Mock-Up Concept

The design of a Final Assembly Line (FAL) is carry out in the product industrialization activity. The phase dealing with the definition of conceptual solutions is characterized by depending heavily on the personnel experience and being time-consuming. To enhance such process, it is proposed a development of a knowledge based software application to assist designers in the definition of scenarios and to generate conceptual FAL alternatives. Both the scenario and the generated FAL solution are part of the industrialization digital mock-up (IDMU). A commercial software application used in the aircraft programmes and supporting the IDMU concepts of: Product, Process and Resource; was selected to implement a software prototype. This communication presents the adopted methodological approach and the architecture of the developed application

Collaborative Engineering Paradigm Applied to the Aerospace Industry

Airbus designs and industrializes aircrafts using Concurrent Engineering techniques since decades. The introduction of new PLM methods, procedures and tools, and the need to reduce time-to-market, led Airbus Military to pursue new working methods. Traditional Engineering works sequentially. Concurrent Engineering basically overlaps tasks between teams. Collaborative Engineering promotes teamwork to develop product, processes and resources from the conceptual phase to the start of the serial production. The CALIPSO-neo pilot project was launched to support the industrialization process of a medium size aerostructure. The aim is to implement the industrial Digital Mock-Up (iDMU) concept and its exploitation to create shop floor documentation. In a framework of a collaborative engineering strategy, the project is part of the efforts to deploy Digital Manufacturing as a key technology for the industrialization of aircraft assembly lines. This paper presents the context, the conceptual approach and the methodology adopted

Nuevas tecnologías para formación en INFOBIOMED, la red de excelencia europea en informática biomédica

La Red de Excelencia Europea INFOBIOMED surgió con el objetivo de estructurar y consolidar una comunidad científica europea en Informática Biomédica. 17 grupos pertenecientes a universidades y. empresas de 10 países distintos integran la Red, centrada en varias áreas: (1) Diseminación de la disciplina a nivel europeo, (2) Formación en Informática Biomédica, (3) Desarrollo de infraestructuras tecnológicas, basadas en temas como ontologías, servicios Web y Grid, modelos de datos relacionando genotipo-fenotipo, procesamiento de imágenes, minería de datos y seguridad, y (4) Proyectos piloto en las áreas de farmainformática, genómica y microbiología, periodontitis y cáncer de colon. En el presente artículo se describen varios trabajos de investigación realizados, en aspectos formativos, durante los tres años de vigencia de la Red INFOBIOMED