Product range models: linking functional design to the reuse of manufacturing information

摘要

This paper explores the definition of a product range model to support the relationships between design for function and design for manufacture in variant design cases. Such a model provides links from the functions of a product reange to the potential manufacturing systems which can be employed in their execution. The model is constructed in the context of "data model driven" applications which utilse both product and manufacturing models as sources of product design and manufactring process information. Injection mould design is used in the paper as a focus for the ideas and to illustrate the data model structures which have been defined.