A Data Architecture for an Uncertain Design and Manufacturing Environment

An integrated design and manufacturing process composed of an ever-changing set of independently developed and rapidly evolving tools, configured in different combinations by different organizations, places severe demands on the design of the data structures and transfer mechanisms used to "glue" the process together. Data models for libraries and design data must be developed to provide a uniform view of the total design data in such a way that the typically simpler models of individual tools and tool families may be extracted, operated upon, and recoordinated. In this paper we will discuss the architecture of a library and archiving system intended to provide common information across the entire scope of product development activities to a variety of alternative tools and processes.