An industrial case study of feature-based in-process workpiece modeling

Distributed, collaborative, and integrated product development with dynamic and reconfigurable manufacturing environments require more holistic information model to support its use throughout the product lifecycle. In this paper, a multiple dimensional in-process workpiece (MDIPW) is created based on dynamic feature information model (DFIM). The MDIPW is able to adjust its forms of expression through creating associations between feature-based models and manufacturing resources. These associations as representation of knowledge are embedded into the MDIPW, and make it more intelligent. The generated inprocess workpiece is a solid model which can be used for other purposes, such as inspection points generation.