Virtual Manufacturing

1. INTRODUCTION

The vision of Virtual Manufacturing is to provide a capability to

"Manufacture in the Computer" (see Figure 1-1). In essence, VM will
ultimately provide a modeling and simulation environment so powerful that the
fabrication/assembly of any product, including the associated manufacturing
processes, can be simulated in the computer. This powerful capability would
take into account all of the variables in the production environment from shop
floor processes to enterprise transactions. In other words, VM will
accommodate the visualization of interacting production processes, process
planning, scheduling, assembly planning, logistics from the line to the
enterprise, and related impacting processes such as accounting, purchasing and
management.

Fig. 1

Two events have combined to launch the VM initiative. First, the

evolving defense environment and acquisition strategies require development
of the capability to prove the manufacturability and affordability of new
weapons systems prior to the commitment of large production resources. In
some cases, the production resources may never materialize, but provision for
subsequent production must be possible should the requirement arise.
Furthermore, the "near zero" production paradigm places increased emphasis
on methods for maintaining manufacturing proficiency without actually

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building products. "Manufacturing in the Computer" has the potential of

redressing these issues. Second, the last decade has witnessed tremendous
advances in modeling and simulation technologies affording a realistic
opportunity to build such a computing capability. For example, the Distributed
Interactive Simulation (DIS) program has demonstrated the usefulness of
Modeling and Simulation (M&S) in an environment rivaling manufacturing in
complexity.

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2. VIRTUAL MANUFACTURING
Definition

In order to establish a frame of reference, the following proposed

definition of VM was presented in the breakout sessions:

Virtual Manufacturing (VM) is an integrated, synthetic manufacturing

environment exercised to enhance all levels of decision and control.

To elucidate the semantics:

 Synthetic: a mixture of real and simulated objects, activities and

processes

 Environment: supports the construction and use of distributed

manufacturing simulations by synergistically providing a collection of
analysis tools, simulation tools, implementation tools, control tools,
models (product, process and resource), equipment, methodologies and
organizational principles (culture)

 Exercising: constructing and executing specific manufacturing

simulations using the environment

 Enhance: increase the value, accuracy, validity

 Levels: from product concept to disposal, from the shop floor to the
executive suite, from factory equipment to the enterprise and beyond,
from material transformation to knowledge transformation

 Decision: understand the impact of change (visualize, organize, identify

alternatives)

 Control: predictions effect actuality

VM was defined simply as an integrated, synthetic Manufacturing

environment exercised to enhance all levels of decision and control. This short
definition attempted to capture the notion of "Manufacturing in the Computer"
in a rigorous manner, and simultaneously encompass its various applications
from the shop floor across the enterprise. However, as indicated in much of the
commentary, a single definition of VM probably cannot suffice.

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Three overarching paradigms emerged during the workshop. For each of

these paradigms, a definition of VM is proposed to capture the view of VM
within that paradigm. For each of these definitions, the term "Manufacturing"
should be construed in a broad sense to include not only production, but also
suppliers, customers, and other processes that impact production (This broad
sense is often referred to as "big-M").

3. CENTERED VM
3.1) Design-Centered VM

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VM adds Manufacturing information to the IPPD process with the intent

of allowing simulation of many Manufacturing alternatives and the creation of
many "soft" prototypes by "Manufacturing in the Computer."

A near-term definition: VM is the use of manufacturing-based

simulations to optimize the design of product and processes for a specific
manufacturing goal such as: design for assembly; quality; lean operations;
and/or flexibility.

A longer-term definition: VM is the use of simulations of processes to

evaluate many production scenarios at many levels of fidelity and scope to
inform design and production decisions. An advanced example would be
"Combat Customer Empowerment."

3.2) Production-Centered VM:

VM adds simulation capability to manufacturing process models with

the purpose of allowing inexpensive, fast evaluation of many processing
alternatives.

A near-term definition: VM is the production-based converse of IPPD

which optimizes manufacturing processes, potentially down to the physics
level. An example would be evolutionary re-engineering/optimization of a
fabrication facility.

A longer-term definition: VM adds analytical production simulation to

other integration and analysis technologies to allow high confidence validation
of new processes and paradigms. Examples would include revolutionary re-
engineering of a processes or factory, and/or introduction of virtual corporation
paradigms.

3.3) Control-Centered VM:

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VM is the addition of simulation to control models and actual processes,

allowing for seamless simulation for optimization during the actual production
cycle.

Design-centered VM provides Manufacturing information to the

designer during the design phase. Production-centered VM uses simulation
during production planning to optimize lines/factories, including the evaluation
of processing alternatives (one would expect to do this sort of trade during
IPPD, however, the evaluation during this phase has more to do with
equipment and people availability). Control-centered VM uses machine control
models in simulations, the goal of which is process optimization during actual
production. Production-centered VM may or may not use actual control models
for the simulation. Using them is desirable, however, this may not be possible
because the models were not designed for simulation purposes or because they
may simply be code without the knowledge/information necessary for
simulation. In one sense, production-centered VM will "control" the factory
because the factory will "operate" according to the plan created with the
assistance of VM.

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4. DEVELOPING
Developing a definition of something as complex as VM is often
difficult; such a definition can rarely capture everything necessary to fully
capture the complexity. As a result, selected commentary is presented below to
better capture some of its complexity.

 VM focuses on improving manufacturing processes by the employment

of a model-based approach which leverages simulation capabilities.

 Perhaps the most important near term role for VM is to serve as a

vehicle for implementation of IPPD practices with a special focus on cost
estimation and control functions.

 The fundamental notion of VM is that it is a computer-based, simulated

product development environment that enables us to "make it virtually"
before we "make it for real". The term "product development"
encompasses all of the various activities, both business and technical,
associated with developing and producing a given product. However, VM
does not simulate all of those activities. For example, VM does not
simulate the design process. It supports the design process. VM does not
simulate reliability or quality engineering, but in many cases a VM
simulation may need access to design, reliability, quality and other kinds
of information. Figure 3-1 represents an attempt to capture the idea that
while VM is not design or the "...ilities," in order to accomplish the
desired cross-functional trade-off analyses, it must in most cases be
integrated with all of the relevant enterprise functional areas via a trade-
off mechanism (IPPD process).

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Fig. 2

 VM allows for the creation of many more "soft prototypes" than

currently (by reducing both cost and time factors), and/or reduces the cost
of the prototyping process overall.

 VM is model-based manufacturing, with tools that leverage those

models. Primary among the techniques used is simulation, which can
reduce some costs of manufacturing and allow exploration of many
options in a mixed real/computed space.

 At the local level, VM adds simulation to control processes to allow for

expedited re-engineering/improvement of processes.

 At a more global level, VM provides for evaluation of partial and

complete designs by "manufacturing in computers" in an enhanced IPPD
environment.

 VM is not a single solution, architecture or monolithic database

approach. It is a collection of many smaller, incrementally implementable
tools (which leverage modeling and simulation), together with some more
overarching concepts which may require larger investments by developers
and users.

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5. FEATURES OF VIRTUAL MANUFACTURING

As with any recently emerging concept, questions of why it different
from some other concepts are always raised. In this section, we have presented
excerpts of those differences from commentary at the workshop for well known
related concepts.

5.1) IPPD

 As Figure 2 suggests, IPPD is a cross-functional trade-off mechanism that

enables the flow of relevant information to the design and manufacturing
processes. VM simulates the manufacturing/production/assembly process.
As such it must in most cases have access to that information, but it is not
the mechanism that enables the aggregation and flow of that information.

 Concerning IPPD: VM supplements the IPPD process since it provides a

pathway for manufacturing knowledge to be migrated to early phases in the
life cycle. Its impact can be significant:

 It allows the IPPD engineer to work with simulated processes directly,

either wholly or in concert with "real" processes.

 It allows the IPPD engineer to aggregate processes into an arbitrary level of

aggregation to validate/analyze soft prototypes. Often IPPD benefits do not
scale through aggregation (several best individual processes do not
necessarily mean the combination will be best, or even good).

 It allows the "P"'s (process focus rather than product focus) to be reversed
so that the process owner can be in control, either re-engineering the
product, his/her own process, and/or a process which is somewhere else.

 Concerning Concurrent Engineering (CE): VM adds the capabilities noted

above. But the sharing infrastructure for VM is more robust than that
needed for CE.

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5.2) Modeling & Simulation

 VM relies on modeling and simulation (M&S) technology to simulate the

manufacturing/ production/assembly process, to enable us to "make it
virtually." M&S technology is essential to VM as it is to various analyses,
training facilities, entertainment and other applications.

 VM is an application of modeling and simulation, but it extends that

discipline beyond convention. Traditionally, M&S models things with the
intent of simulating. The modeling is for simulation and related analyses
only. In VM we are counting on using models that already largely exist, but
are not optimized for simulation. Because they are there for other reasons,
they are highly dynamic, changing outside of the control of the simulation
environment. However, upon occasion someone may want VM to control
some elements of the production process.

5.3) Virtual Corporation

 VM adds simulation to the Virtual Enterprise (VE) concept, which

complicates the problem greatly. However, the scope is radically reduced
because the VE (or Enterprise Integration) capabilities needed are limited to
improvements in manufacturing.

5.4) Virtual Prototyping

 Virtual Prototyping often refers to the product, and the prototyping process
may be not depend on any of the actual production processes. If the Virtual
Prototype (product) were "constructed" using simulations of the planned
production processes, then one could say the virtual prototype was created
using virtual manufacturing.

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6) USER REQUIREMENTS ON VM
The participants at the workshop identified a number requirements on
the VM “system”. The principle requirements which can potentially impact the
techonology road map are summarized below in table:-
Table 1) VM User Requirements

Description Comments
Incremental implementation & Adopting VM may require a strategic decision
adoption
A collection of small, The tools should be processed based,
incrementally implementable maintained by experts, not M&S people.
tools (building blocks) that are
modular, pre-verified, & reusable

Integrate design and VM should not simulate design, but support it.
manufacturing processes VM should be able to evaluate partial &
complete designs. A formal structured
methodology for design abstraction is
necessary.
Agile to changes VM supports rapid verification of
[Link] in the physical environment
should bereadily and easily reflected in the
virtual environment.
Reduction of product Facilitates creation of "soft prototypes".
development cycle
Optimization of manufacturing Investigate alternatives. Enhance risk
environment & assembly management. Reveal key strengths,
processes deficiencies and voids in the manufacturing
processes.
Enhancement of design for Predict schedule, cost & quality. Provide
producibility process capability and cost information to
guide the IPPD processes.
Supportive of IPPD processes, Reliably and verifiably link end-product or
focusing on cost component cost to specific design features and
estimation/control tolerances. Supports trend toward Activity
Based Costing.
Capture & retention of Uses model-based manufacturing (in
knowledge, especially for training part).Supports the concept of "shelf
technology".

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7. EFFECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF VM
The following categorization shows the breadth of areas in which VM
might be used.

7.1) Corporate Memory

Corporate memory will be enhanced in the near-term through the

increased development and use of expert systems to capture the knowledge of
subject-matter experts. Over the long-term the impact will be much more
significant. While the details of product design are presently captured as part of
the corporate memory in a fairly systematic way, manufacturing process details
often are not. Using expert systems in conjunction with VM would be a
significant improvement by providing process capability and cost information
to guide the product design process as well as adding some viability to the
concept of "shelf technology" where a product might go into production long
after the initial design prototyping and testing are completed.

7.2) Capital Investment

Manufacturing models and simulations will and are having some

influence on capital decisions currently, but this use is isolated to a few
companies and not widespread within those companies. In the longer-term, VM
should be widely used in capital investment decisions since it should allow
more credible comparisons of investment alternatives and should also provide
history on the performance of past investments which is frequently hard to
obtain in the current environment.

7.3) Supplier Management

The current VM impact on suppliers is probably rare and the use of VM

by suppliers themselves would probably be limited to the largest companies
because of the anticipated large investment required to install VM. The future

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impact on supplier management, however, is expected to be very significant.

Make/buy decisions will be enhanced through easy access to better quality and
more detailed information on costs, capacity, process capability and lead-times
as part of the make/buy decision process. Cost control would also be enhanced
because of the more accurate cost information available about suppliers. Major
suppliers will have early involvement in product design and planning through
the Integrated Product and Process Design (IPPD) teaming approach that is
likely to be an accelerating and long-lasting trend and will interact with VM in
that context. Smaller suppliers will probably be positively impacted by getting
much better and more stable product requirements information from their
customers and the customers should be positively impacted by not having to
invest so many resources in having to solve problems with their suppliers.

7.4) Product Design

In the near term, available and emerging modeling and simulation will
enhance the effectiveness of systems integration in the design process, and as a
result, improve the fit of components, minimize interference between
subsystems and, and reduce the dependence on hard-mockups. Also in the near
term, electronic co-location of IPPD team members will become more practical
and widespread. In the longer term, major improvements to the transition from
design to production are envisioned because of much stronger and more
effective influence of process capacity and manufacturing cost information on
the product designer as well as the ability to do many more design iterations
prior to committing to hardware. One spin-off result should be in providing
materials that come out of VM and the design process to be used in training the
manufacturing workforce the computer based models and simulations could be
readily adapted to work instructions or training materials.

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7.5) Cost Estimating

The move toward VM will necessitate finer-grained, more accurate cost

information than can typically be provided by current cost accounting systems
(and VM cannot succeed without this kind of information). This will, in turn,
accelerate the current trend toward activity-based accounting systems and other
accounting system changes that allow detailed and accurate product costing.
Some current reliance on "semi-expert" systems for cost estimating were
identified, but these were little more than advanced parametric estimating
systems. These systems are not very satisfactory and will be abandoned as the
industry moves into VM and better data becomes available to support more
accurate approaches. Future VM systems will provide accurate cost data
throughout the design, development, and production process. Cost estimating
systems will become fully integrated with design and manufacturing databases
and will have access to detailed process-level design feature related data.

7.6) Shop Floor

In the near term, shop floor people and concerns should have a greater
influence on the design process, and manufacturing approaches that have been
modeled and simulated above the shop floor will be brought out on the shop
floor to validate the models and simulations. In the longer term, significant
improvements to work instructions will be seen through the ready availability
of graphics. Much better tooling will be available on the shop floor with
features that make it easier for the worker to succeed via access to better
instructions and illustrations to promote error-free tool use. This will also make
it easier to accommodate the envisioned drop in the average skill and education
level of shop-floor workers. The proofing of designs and manufacturing
processes in the computer prior to commitment to hardware should sharply
reduce the problems on the shop floor. Labor relations issues are anticipated to
arise as the character and/or existence of some unionized positions such as
process planning is impacted by the evolution of VM.

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8. USEFULNESS OF VM
 Users of design-centered VM would be product and process designers at
arbitrarily early stages in design with the primary intent of optimizing
processes and a secondary intent of affecting the design by design-for-
producibility.

¨ Note: Individuals in the design group would probably not want to make
the distinction between "primary" and "secondary"...They would say that it
is a dual intent, that it cuts both ways...etc.

 Users of production-centered VM would be factory managers and

engineers, during both design and operation, with the intent of optimizing
the factory's processes at an arbitrary level of aggregation or granularity.

 In both paradigms, the users could be focused on a finely detailed element

of the process, or a high-level, aggregated view of a substantial part of the
operation. In both cases, the users could be designing new processes or
factories, or re-engineering existing ones. In both cases, simulation allows
for enhanced, possibly unique, analyses to inform the process.

 VM will eventually be used by a variety of people across the product

development and production spectrum. The users (and eventually the
sponsors) determine the metrics/benefits. The potential user set and their
associated problems are well captured in looking down the diagonal of the
VM matrix (shown in Figure 7-1). It is important to note that different users
will apply VM to their own problems and in their own ways. There is a
direct linkage of the "who definition" back to the VM definition above. For
example, if we focus VM on the shop floor and perhaps the control
function, then a specific user class emerges. The important point is that
there will be multiple classes.

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9. BUSINESS ISSUES

The Benefits of VM

Several key benefits of VM can be cited. Following this list of

workshop-identified benefits, the potential for realizing these benefits is listed,
categorized as short-term versus long-term.

9.1) Affordability

A dramatic and pervasive benefit is expected to emerge in the area of

affordability. Many of the risks and problems that have driven the costs of
weapon systems in the past will be positively impacted as reliable cost and
process capability information impacts key design and management decisions.

9.2) Quality

Product quality should be greatly enhanced through the more producible

nature of the designs that will move to the shop floor and the higher quality of
the tools and work instructions available to support production.

9.3) Producible Prototypes

The very first article produced in hardware should be relatively trouble

free if VM realizes its full potential since the manufacturing process and the
design will have been modeled and simulated and refined in the computer prior
to reaching the shop floor.

9.4) Shorter Cycle Times

The development cycle should be substantially shortened through the

increased effectiveness of the IPPD process and due to the ability to go directly
into production without false starts.

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9.5) Responsiveness

The ability to respond to the needs of customers for product capability

should be significantly enhanced in both cost and timeliness. The ability to
respond to customer "what-ifs" about the impact of various funding profiles
and delivery schedule should be markedly improved in both accuracy
(credibility) and timeliness.

9.6) Customer Relations

The benefits cited above coupled with the increased participation of the
customer in the IPPD process should result in improved customer relations.
Customers will appreciate lower costs, better schedule performance, improved
quality, and greater responsiveness.

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10. TECHNOLOGY ISSUES

One breakout session was devoted to addressing the technologies of
VM. The name of that breakout session, Technology Push, was deliberately
chosen so that participants would focus on technologies that can or will support
user needs, rather than starting with a technology and determine which needs it
might solve (the proverbial solution-in-search-of-a-problem). The Design
group also contributed significantly to technology issues.

 New integration technologies and philosophies are emerging. Visualization

hardware and some software is becoming more affordable and widespread.
New modeling and model abstraction techniques are appearing.

 Specific technologies supporting VM exist today, however, most must be

further developed in order to achieve the VM goals (viz. VM support for
rapid design validation and input during the design process).

10.1. Technology Needs

 More progress is still needed for visualization technologies, including more

affordable hardware.

 In addition to M&S requirements, considerable work is needed in

database/knowledge base technology, shifting the "intelligence" from the
application to the data itself. Multi-level, distributed security is also an
issue, as is the need for a methodology, protocol and underlying ontology to
represent relevant design and product development process information at
multiple levels of abstraction.

 Development of a formal, structured methodology for design abstraction.

The purpose of this methodology would be to enable designers and
engineers to discuss, manipulate and represent design concepts in a way that
is computer-interpretable so that various software tools could be built that
"understand" what kinds of information are relevant in a given design

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problem or context and deliver that information to a designer or engineer in

a timely manner and in the most useful form.

 Multi-level, distributed security. Information security is closely tied to

business practices. However, technical issues remain as well, particularly
with respect to configuration management during design iterations and the
integration of information from across the enterprise into a VM simulation
that supports the design process.

 Advances in Object oriented dynamic, functional languages (Dylan), and

event-based modeling are needed.

 3-D surface-based modeling.

 Common kernels for model component exchange. For design-centered VM,

this would probably be 3-D solids-based, possibly feature-based models; for
production-centered VM, this would probably be event-based, possibly
network-based.

 Portable techniques for mapping metric information from tools to enterprise

metrics (cost, time, quality).

 Facilities to handle basic needs: configuration management; security;

metrics validation and verification.

 A general capability to integrate dynamic, distributed, collaborative models

without creating a central database or imposing a homogenous solution.
This could be called a federating abstraction and aggregation environment.
(A longer-term issue.)

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11. VM TECHNICAL AREAS

Technical Area Other Descriptions Group Commentary & Issues
Technologies
Involved
T1 Visualization Virtual Reality Brown
Multi-context
analysis &
presentation GUI's

T2 Environment VM System Not Critical for advanced

Construction development addressed applications and potential for
environment Shells a strong government role
technologies
Shell linkages to CAD

T3 Modeling Modeling Blue Broken up into product,

technologies Brown process, information, and
Model Libraries activity Standards for
Green
datagathering Integrated
distributed heterogeneous
databases
T4 Representation Knowledge Based Blue Applicable at the process,
Systems Modeling Brown design, manufacturing
Rule engineering, and enterprise
based systems levels Mathematical ,
statistical,ontological,
Object Oriented
chaotic,finite
Expert Systems
automata,autonomous agents
Physics based
Software development
process models environment to CAD
Feature-based Security, Linkage encryption
models and Extends across enterprise
simulations operations. A highly
dynamic area but, the
products tend not to be
integrated.
T5 Meta-Modeling Model component Yellow Generic models
exchange
T6 Integrating Sharing VM Yellow Includes telecommunications
infrastructure & Framework Blue infrastructure, based
architecture Integration Green technologies, global co-
location, groupware

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Technical Area Other Descriptions Group Commentary & Issues

Technologies
Involved
T7 Simulation Optimization Brown Multi-Dimensional
Analysis Simulation Green Optimization (MDO)
Tools Chaos Focusing manufacturing
Software wrappers processes and cost
Generally, a high level of
and, at the unit activity level,
some of the simulations are
well done and mature. But in
general, these are not
integrated into systems and
because of their specificity,
they may not be easily
integrated.

T8 Methodology Characterize Green Methodology was deemed to

customer imply a strong link to
requirements Cost culture
modeling
T 9 Legacy data, Databases Green Standards: accessibility,
models, Programming transportability, abstraction,
information, API's update, V&V Corporate
hardware, & culture
software
T 10 Manufacturing Representation of Red Cycle-time, yields, etc.
characterization product/process Often involves modeling
Design by features Predictable processes Cost
Manufacturing modeling Closed-loop
ontology System design/mfg tools Contains
behavior Shop floor the ability to convey
data gathering measures of uncertainty and
Models which risk. The maturity level of
describe products in the area is low
manufacturing and there is only a medium
processes amount of activity under
way.
T 11 Verification, Metrics, Virtual Red Cross system validation
Validation & metrics Methodology for validation
Measurement Performance System performance
Decision tools (hardware/software related
speed and accuracy)

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Technical Area Other Descriptions Group Commentary & Issues

Technologies
Involved
T 12 Workflow Process control Red Although some here are
quite maturethey are limited
in their range of
applicability and are not
integrated into systems
control technologies. One
major problem here is that
there seems to be little or
no "user pull."
T 13 Cross functional Product model Blue Product model
trade Representation representation standards
technologies Semantics
standards Function
Function automation may
output integration
have the highest payoff, but
Function
is probably much longer
automation
term in any generalized
sense

Title Participant Profile Facilitator

1. Yellow academics, three airframers, two vendors, two R. Boykin

government, one missile/electronic prime, one other

2. Red Four defense aerospace manufacturers, two from R. Thomas

NASA, two from DOE, two software vendors

3. Blue vendor, one academic, one service seller an Four W. Henghold

airframers, one missile/electronic prime, one d two
government

4. Brown Seven airframers, two electronics, one vendor, two G. Peisert

software, one academic, and two government

5. Green Three airframers, one electronics manufacturer, two J. Haynes

software vendors, two government

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12. TECHNICAL BARRIERS

 Interface standards will have to be established in order for many types of
equipment, software and databases to be able to work together.
 Data deliverable specifications relating to VM will have to be developed for
government contracts.
 Databases. Universal integratability must be sought so as to bring together
(logically) not only the disparate, stand alone information banks within a
single enterprise, but also to link eventually primes, subs and customers.
 An undercurrent was that technology needs to link the physics view to the
cost (presently parameterized) view and how we will go about aggregation.
In addition concern was expressed on how to generalize tools to multiple
industries and companies within an industry.

12.1) Tools Needs

 A standard for the communication of visual information. This is probably
related to the CAD kernel. Where the kernel focuses on the ease of transfer
of the model, this standard (and technology) focuses on its communication.
A different representation may be required, together with compression (and
possibly security) technologies. Creating of this standard will allow the
involvement of several workstations/display devices in a collaborative
simulation-based mode. As with the above standard, no one currently owns
the problem.
 Possibly this is something to address in concert with STEP and/or NIST
funding.
 Additionally, there is a tool which seems to depend on the infrastructure,
but may not required in a near-term version. This tool would address the
"flying carpet" function
Probably it would make sense to use this as a first program goal since it is
incrementally beneficial, has a growing commercial vendor base (and skill set)
and has a near-term horizon. Probably, work on this tool could contribute to the
longer-term browser and federated abstraction needs.

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12.2) Risks

The risks associated for each technical area was discussed during Phase
I and are documented in the viewgraphs in appendix E. Highlights include:

 The associated risks with these areas pointed to a lack of coordinated

effort, difficulty in benefits measurement , individual efforts being only
part of a Òwhole processÓ (benefits attribution plus risk stacking) and
acceptance which relates back to an inability to change culture to make
VM technology effective.

 Risks associated with VM research were varied. Concepts included:

maintenance of data quality and integrity with in a dynamic VM
environment; fidelity of the knowledge; lack of standards; flexibility and
extendibility of system (plug and play); lack of VM validation and
measurement tools; and, costs of system development and maintainability.

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13. VM TECHNOLOGIES

Technologies were viewed as to their granularity within the context of

Virtual Manufacturing and classified into four categories (which overlap
somewhat). During Phase III of the workshop, participants were asked to rate
the technologies identified during the earlier phases as being a "Core
Technology", an "Enabling Technology, " a "Show Stopper Technology", or a
"Common Technology". Briefly,

 A "Core Technology" is one which is fundamental and critical to VM. In

essence, the set of core technologies defines what VM can do.

 An "Enabling Technology" is one which is not core, but which is necessary

to build a VM system.

 A "Show Stopper Technology" is one that, without which, a VM system

cannot be built (at least in some context). That is, progress must be made in
a show stopper technology to build the VM capability envisioned.

 A "Common Technology" is one which is widely used and needed in other

domains, but which is important, perhaps critical to VM. Depending on
functionality, a common technology can also be and enabler or show
stopper.

 Table contains a listing of technologies identified during the workshop and

an indication of its status according to the workshop participants (the items
with an asterisk [*] were identified in the user workshop.)

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13.1) VM Technologies

Technology Core Enabler

Computer characterization of manufacturing processes X
VM Methodology for Process Characterization X
Technologies to simulate assembly operations X
Generative Process Planning X
Declarative Representation of Product and Proces X
Physics-Based Process Modeling X
Methodology/protocol/grammar to represent knowledge
Product Definition Models with variable resolution levels X
Object oriented, dynamic, functional languages and event-based
modeling
3-D surface based modeling X
Model component exchange X
Ability to integrate dynamic, distributed, collaborative models X
Meta-Models X
Neutral Language for VM Meta-Model x
Cost database & integration X
Large-scale integrated database structure
Object Oriented Databases
Data exchange standards, linkage of primes, subs, customer
Techniques to map metric information from tools to enterprise X
metrics
Machine Intelligence
Knowledge Based Systems, Rule Based Systems
AI Shells, Neural Networks, Fuzzy Set Theory
VM User Interface (communication between VM knowledge X
system and user)

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14. CONCLUSION

The vision of Virtual Manufacturing is to provide a capability to

"Manufacture in the Computer" (see Figure 1-1). In essence, VM will
ultimately provide a modeling and simulation environment so powerful that the
fabrication/assembly of any product, including the associated manufacturing
processes, can be simulated in the computer. VM will accommodate the
visualization of interacting production processes, process planning, scheduling,
assembly planning, logistics from the line to the enterprise, and related
impacting processes such as accounting, purchasing and management.

VM is also used in product design, supplier management, capital

investment, cost estimating, shop flower etc

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REFERENCE

1. Dayton Marriott Hotel “Virtual Manufacturing User Workshop

Technical Report” 12-13 July 1994

2. Dayton Stouffer Hotel “Virtual Manufacturing Technical Workshop

Technical Report” 25-26 October 1994

28 Textile & Engg. Institute, Ichalkaranji