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
ProductionPlanning

Version
Revision
Geometry
Rationale
.

Design Evolution Database

ProcessPlanning
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

XML
Schema

structured
Glossaries
Thesauri

ordinary
Glossaries
Data
Dictionaries
(EDI)

Glossaries &
Data Dictionaries

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

Smithmodel
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

Torque vs. Speed simulation

0.5

Simulation

0.45
0.4
0.35
0.3
0.25
0.2
0.15
0.1
0.05
0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

1000

800

900

1000

Torque

Power vs. Speed simulation

140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0

100

200

300

400

500

Power

600

700

Technical Challenges
1. Knowledge Management
2. Repositories: Capture and Reuse
3. Immersive Environments

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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

Design for X (Knowledge-based)

Manufacturing
Simulation

New AP

Communication Levels

N
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g
o
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a
o
n
/
C
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f
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PLM/KM and Standards

Discovery

Conceptual
Design

Detailed

Manufacture Testing

Design

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

eCommerce
Internet Auctions

Process Engineering
CAPP/ MES
PSL

STEPml, PDML, PDX

Users

Web Services

Enterprise operation
ERP/SCM

BizTalk,ebXML,BPML, cXML...
RosattaNet, SCOR

Interface Layer
(XML/RDF/Java)
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

Future

PRODUCT USE

Visualization

DISPOSAL

Archival Database
server

IDEATION
DESIGN ORGANIZATION

MANUFACTURING
DESIGN EVALUATION
PRODUCT USE

DETAILED DESIGN
DISPOSAL

Current

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
IDEATION
DESIGN ORGANIZATION

DESIGN EVALUATION

DETAILED DESIGN

CONCEPTUAL 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)

J
im

M
a
ry

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

Ma
Desig
Mine
Proces
Materi
Drill
Drill Sto
are
Recycle
(Recycling
Recycl
(Bin)
Sel
Use
T
rash
Dump
The Supply Chain

T
i
2Sup
er
T
i
3S
er
Manufactu
er
T
i
1Suppl
er
Engine
V
a
lues
TR
W
Fuji
V
a
TN
lue,Inc
FuelPum
Assembl
DensoInt
Americ
SC
For
gedSteel
Louiville
geandG
W
orks
T
oyota
KY
BrakeCo
Ambrake
Plastics
Seats
NovaChe
A
Recaro
SheetSte
Plastic
AKSteel
Carlis
Interio
Automoti
Becke
JohnsonC
Ford
Cla
Cast
V
a
lueL
Engines
Suppl
Sup
Supp
ChryslerP
Airbags,e
Delphi
Automot
Chrysler
GeneralMo

Automobile Supply Chain: Example

Types of Supply Chain Collaborations

1
2

4
3

Design

Manufacture

8
7

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.