A standard manufacturing information model to support design for manufacturing in virtual enterprises

Manufacturing enterprises are being forced into greater collaboration with customers and suppliers in order to produce quality products in smaller batches, shorter lead times, and with greater variety. Consequently, the design-for-manufacturing task must be conducted in these virtual and distributed enterprises across traditional organizational boundaries. This paper proposes the use of standard information models to support the product realization process. While extensive work has been performed in developing product data models little effort has been performed in developing a manufacturing model. Different modeling approaches used to address various aspects of manufacturing are reviewed and found inadequate for supporting the design for manufacturing task. The development of a standard manufacturing systems information model written in EXPRESS and based upon the modeling methodology adhered to by STEP is proposed to fill the void. Initial development in this area is discussed and the potential benefits to manufacturing reviewed.