ISO 10303, the STEP standard for product data exchange, and its PLM capabilities

摘要

The international standard ISO 10303 (STEP) has been under development since 1984 and in use since 1994. It provides for the standardised exchange of product data. Initial parts of the standard were oriented towards data for specific life-cycle activities such as design and manufacturing, but a major expansion of scope has recently been achieved with the release for publication of ISO 10303-239, a STEP application protocol entitled 'Product Life Cycle Support' (PLCS), which covers the entire history of a product from conceptual design to disposal. The first part of the paper gives an overview of the entire STEP standard as it currently exists, and the second part provides a more detailed description of the capabilities of the new PLCS component of STEP.