Resource-free and resource-dependent aspects of process modelling: a rule-based conceptual approach

摘要

The Esprit project 8224-RUMS (a RUle-based Manufacturing Modelling System) is aimed atproviding small-medium enterprises with advanced software tools supporting product design, processdesign and long-, medium- and short-term production planning. Process modelling constitutes acritical point of the project, since it links product structure to planning functions. A new processrepresentation has been introduced that overcomes limitations of current techniques, e.g. inability tomodel products as belonging to generalized families, or request of burden amounts of data to manage.The proposed approach is based on a neat separation between abstract (resource-free) definitions ofmanufacturing operations and actual (resource-dependent) specifications of set-up and operationalconditions and times. Following this solution, most of the aspects of process modelling can beexpressed as rules. Rules provide a concise representation that avoids redundancies and enablescomputer-based knowledge control and processing.