Integrated fixture design and analysis system based on service-oriented architecture

Distributed collaborative design and manufacture enables manufacturing organizations in maintaining competitiveness in the fiercely competitive global industry. A collaborative design system should be able to transfer information with the various other systems in order to realize a seamless product design and manufacturing environment. This paper addresses the development of an integrated fixture design and analysis system. Web services and service-oriented architecture (SOA) are employed in this system in order to facilitate the advantages of interoperability, platform -independence and language-neutrality. The use of XML as a file format provides a means for the transfer of information and knowledge between design and analysis.