Research in Cyber Infrastructure for
Engineering Design: Technical
Challenges
Ram D. Sriram
Leader, Design and Process Group
Manager, Manufacturing Metrology and Standards
for the Health Care Enterprise
Manufacturing Systems Integration Division
National Institute of Standards & Technology
URL: http://www.nist.gov/msid
E-mail: sriram@nist.gov
Collaborative Design
Conceptual Design
(Knowledge-based CAD)
Analysis
Virtual Prototype
Environment
Traditional CAD
Engineering
Specifications
Immersive
CAD
Case Studies
Component Data
Other Resource Data
….
Design Repository
Production Planning
Version
Revision
Geometry
Rationale
….
Design Evolution Database
Process Planning
Client/User
Globally Networked Engineering
•Engineering organizations are globally distributed networks
•Large scale engineering organizations are moving towards system
integrators and suppliers
•Collaboration across the network varies from over the wall transfer of
information to joint development
•Role of information technology is still limited in-spite of success stories
such as Boeing 777.
•Recent efforts in PLM/KM is encouraging as the PLM initiative is
focusing on strategic business approach for the effective creation,
management and use of corporate intellectual capital.
Factors in Achieving Seamless
Networks of Design and Manufacturing
1. Connectivity: Bandwidth for large scale data and
information transfer
2. Reach: The ability to access and provide right information
that is distributed across the networked enterprise
3. Interactivity: The ability to interact with people,
computational tools and physical tools across time and
space
Any Cyber Infrastructure has to support along all these three
dimensions
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management: Representation, Mining
and Molding
Function
Behavior
Heuristics
Design Process
……….
Kinds of Ontologies
ad hoc
Hierarchies
(Yahoo!)
Terms
structured
Glossaries
Thesauri
‘ordinary’
Glossaries
Data
Dictionaries
(EDI)
Glossaries &
Data Dictionaries
XML
Schema
formal
Taxonomies
XML DTDs
Data Models
(UML, STEP)
Principled,
informal
hierarchies
DB
Schema
Thesauri,
Taxonomies
Description
Logics
(DAML+OIL)
MetaData,
XML Schemas,
& Data Models
Frames
(OKBC)
General
Logic
Formal Ontologies
& Inference
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management: Shared Information and
Knowledge
Transient
Smith model
Intangible
Tangible
(Product/Process)
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management
2. Repositories: Capture and Reuse
Initial
startup
screen
Motor
added
Gearbox
added
Chuck
added
Complete
drill
model
Simulation
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management
2. Repositories: Capture and Reuse
3. Immersive Environments
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are needed to see this picture.
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management
2. Repositories: Capture and Reuse
3. Immersive Environments
4. Standards
Design-Manufacturing Integration
Analysis
Solid Free Form
Fabrication
SIF-LM
Immersive CAD
(Virtual Assembly)
Assembly Planning
New AP
AP 209, AP...
Process Planning (NC)
AP 203+
Virtual Assembly AP
New AP
(AP 203, 214, 224)
Process Constraints
Assembly Constraints
Traditional CAD
TCAD-KBCAD
Manufacturing
Simulation
New AP
Design for X (Knowledge-based)
Communication Levels
Negotiation/Conflict Resolution
Communication/Query (KQML, etc)
Design Rationale
Content (Express, KIF, etc.)
Object (ORBs)
Physical
PLM/KM and Standards
Discovery
Conceptual
Detailed
Design
Design
Manufacture Testing
Quality
Consumer
Market
STEP/
PDM
CPM/OAM
{Function, Form, Behavior,
Requirements, Technology}
PLM SUPPORT
{Creation, Reuse, Management of IP}
Disposal
PLM/KM and Interoperability
Product Engineering
CAD/CAE/CAM
Process Engineering
CAPP/ MES
eCommerce
Internet Auctions
PSL
Enterprise operation
ERP/SCM
BizTalk,ebXML,BPML, cXML...
RosattaNet, SCOR
STEPml, PDML, PDX
Interface Layer
(XML/RDF/Java)
Users
Web Services
Semantic Layer (OWL/RDF/XML)
DAML
Agents
Content Layer
XrML, ORDL, DRM, IPR…
JDBC/ODBC/XSQL
JX3D, U3D, JTOpen
Content Management
Security
Digital Rights Management
PRODUCT USE
Visualization
DISPOSAL
Future
Archival Database
server
IDEATION
DESIGN ORGANIZATION
MANUFACTURING
DESIGN EVALUATION
PRODUCT USE
DETAILED DESIGN
DISPOSAL
Current
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
IDEATION
DESIGN ORGANIZATION
CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
DESIGN EVALUATION
DETAILED DESIGN
Roadmap for Systems Integration
Self-integrating systems
Self-describing systems
Explicit, formal semantics
Common models of data
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management
3. Repositories: Capture and Reuse
3. Immersive Environments
4. Standards
5. Constraint Management
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management
2. Repositories: Capture and Reuse
3. Immersive Environments
4. Standards
5. Constraint Management
6. Negotiation Tools and Techniques
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management
2. Repositories: Capture and Reuse
3. Immersive Environments
4. Standards
5. Constraint Management
6. Negotiation Tools and Techniques
7. Database Organization and Access
Database Organization and Access
Traditional (Short Duration)
Collaborative (Long Duration)
Collaborative Design
Design
Framework
Analysis
Visualization
Work Flow
Case Studies
Component Data
Other Resource Data
….
Design Repository
Design Evolution (PDM)
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management
2. Repositories: Capture and Reuse
3. Immersive Environments
4. Standards
5. Constraint Management
6. Negotiation Tools and Techniques
7. Database Organization and Access
8. Design supply chains
The Supply Chain
Automobile Supply Chain: Example
Types of Supply Chain Collaborations
1
2
4
3
Design
Manufacture
8
7
6
5
Design Supply Chain Issues
• Design management
• Outsource vs In-house
• Sensor based and RFID based management of
maintenance and monitoring of production, supply chain,
inventory and product performance
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management
2. Repositories: Capture and Reuse
3. Immersive Environments
4. Standards
5. Constraint Management
6. Negotiation Tools and Techniques
7. Database Organization and Access
8. Design Supply Chains
9. Remote Monitoring and Sharing
Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management
2. Repositories: Capture and Reuse
3. Immersive Environments
4. Standards
5. Constraint Management
6. Negotiation Tools and Techniques
7. Database Organization and Access
8. Design Supply Chains
9. Remote Monitoring and Sharing
10. Security
Acknowledgments
Rachuri Sudarsan, Eswaran Subrahmanian, Steven
Fenves, Kevin Lyons, Simon Szykman,(with help from
Chris Paredis) contributed to this presentation. Other
members of the Manufacturing Integration Program
working on various product engineering aspects are
Shaw Feng, Xuan Zha, Sebti Foufou, Junhwan Kim,
and Conrad Bock.