Research on manufacturing resource modeling

based on the OO method

As with a product model, the model of a manufacturing resource is the information
shared through the process of product development.The building of the manufacturing
resource model can promote the realization of concurrent engineering (CE), agile
manufacturing (AM) and global manufacturing (GM). In this paper, the authors put
forward a generalized definition of a manufacturing resource model by analyzing the
manufacturing resource requirements during the development of the product and by
abstracting the normal manufacturing resource expression. Based upon such a
definition, the framework of a generalized manufacturing resource model is built based
on the object-oriented method.
Introduction:
Many new concepts and modes of manufacturing, such as computer integrated manufacturing
systems (CIMS), concurrent engineering (CE), agile manufacturing (AM) and global
manufacturing (GM), are put forward along with the progress of computer and internet
technology and consequent applications in manufacturing. On the other hand, these new concepts
put further requirements on the behavior and architecture of life-cycle product design and
product management, especially at the early stages of product design. The efficiency and benefits
of enterprises are achieved by adopting a framework which supports information integration and
function integration between every stage of the product life-cycle and the entire concurrent
optimization.
The concept of an object-oriented general manufacturing resource (GMR) model:
The new manufacturing resource information model must meet the following demands
of the current manufacturing model:
(1) Dynamic. The manufacturing resource model is a dynamic data structure and can be
changed and released in every stage of product development.
(2) Coherence. The manufacturing resource model should have a coherent description
in different stages of product development. The model should be processed
conveniently for multi-knowledge. It is feasible to construct resource model by following
the standards such as STEP and Express.
(3) Integrity. Manufacturing resource model should contain as much information as
possible. All of the resource information, such as facility and manpower required in
product life-cycle, should be expressed in manufacturing resource model.
(4) Consolidation. The data of manufacturing resource should be stored in a coherent
and safe way. The storage model of manufacturing resource should be convenient for
the data processing such as updating and maintenance.
Architecture of the general model of manufacturing resource:
The architecture of manufacturing resource is a 3D solid model composing three aspects, i.e.
development activity, organization structure and capability status (see Fig. 1). The three surfaces
of the cube express the different phases, different levels and different capability status of

manufacturing resource. In the internal of the cube, the manufacturing resource elements interact
with each other.
(i) The structure of the manufacturing resource expressesthe physical properties of the
elements composed in one manufacturing resource. These properties include function,
configuration and the logical links between elements. The structure is the foundation of
the resource capability. The structure format in the structure makes it convenient to
capture the capability expression of different manufacturing levels.
(ii) The capability of manufacturing resource expresses the manufacturing capability of
each manufacturing level. Each level has different capability definition. For example, at
the workstation level, the manufacturing capabilities include the kings of lathes, the
precision produced with the equipment, etc. As a whole, the manufacturing resource
capability includes the productivity, machinability and material cost.
(iii) The status of manufacturing resource expresses the current status of manufacturing
resource such as performance, task-charge and change trend. This property determines
the manufacturing capability under the current conditions.
Conclusion:
The implication of a general model of manufacturing resource is to smooth the way of
sharing and maintaining resource information. From this foundation, each individual
product development stage can make decisions according to the practical and on-time
manufacturing resource. The general model of manufacturing resource is useful in
enhancing the whole performance of an enterprise and in making the management
decisions more effectively and feasibility.