Collaborative development using EMProDS: the electromechanical product design system

摘要

Among manufactured products, electromechanical devices are something of a special case, requiring input at the earliest design stage of experts from two (or more) distinctly separate branches of engineering. This tends to promote a modular approach under which products are partitioned by function, with each module being either purely electrical or purely mechanical. However, customers' demands for smaller lighter, less expensive items with greater functionality force manufacturers to produce integrated systems. Furthermore, modules which function optimally in isolation may not produce an optimal assembly. This paper describes an alternative approach to the conceptual design of electromechanical products, in which a software tool promotes the communication of ideas and opinions. EMProDS provides an easy-to-use distributed design environment, meant to preserve as far as possible the intent of the design team-an aspect of design which can easily be lost once detailed computer aided design drawings are made. This makes any redesign activity which is required simpler and eliminates a common source of conflict between specialists with different technical backgrounds.