October,
1992 This is a preprint of the
report. The definitive version
was published by the Office
of Naval Research European Office
in its European Science Notes
Information Bulletin, volume
93-01, pp 1 - 52.
Author's
Note
I spent from April 1 to September
30, 1992 in London with the
Office of Naval Research European
Foreign Field Office on assignment
to study product design and
use of CAD research and applications
in European companies and universities.
The
output of this study comprises
a final report plus separate
site visit reports. Each of
these was published by the Office
of Naval Research European Office
in its European Science Notes
Information Bulletin. The visit
reports include companies, universities,
and the ESPRIT offices sponsoring
manufacturing research at that
time. The final report contains
summary observations and selected
excerpts from the company reports.
The
reader is advised to read the
final report first, in the formats
PDF,
279K, then peruse the annotated
table of contents below (which
link to the particular articles)
to see which visit reports might
be of interest.
Annotated
Table of Contents:
- Robotics
in Theory, Robotics in Practice:
1992 IEEE Robotics and Automation
Conference (PDF, 32K):
Comments on the degree to
which robotics research has
diverged from practice: heavy
applications in industry that
are ahead of researchin some
domains, large shortfall in
robotics ability in space
despite two decades of research;
summaries of conference sessions
in assembly planning, microsensors
and micromachines, fine manipulation,
force control, and neural
networks.
- The
UK Government Program in Engineering
Design Research (PDF,
18k): Interview with Dr. Peter
Hills, indicating a trend
toward applied research in
the UK with preference being
given to projects that involve
industry customers from the
beginning.
- EC-Sponsored
Research in Design and Manufacturing
(PDF, 45k): Interviews with
European Community research
directors David Miles and
Patricia Mac Connail describing
research thrusts in IMS, manufacturing
systems, software, process
modeling, CIM, and related
areas; interview with Anthony
Rock of the U.S. Mission to
the EC regarding the IMS.
- Design
Research and an Industrial
Application of Systematic
Design Methodologies
(PDF, 36k): Visit to design
research and applications
in Berlin: IPK (Prof. Krause
- CAD, feature-based design),
TU Berlin (Prof. Beitz - systematic
design), and Siemens Dynamowerk
(Dr. Schacht, student of Beitz,
applying systematic design
to rationalize the design
process for large hydro-electric
generators).
- Manufacturing
and Robotics Research at the
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven,
Belgium (PDF, 14k): Description
of research in acoustics and
noise suppression, mold design,
stereolithography, electro
discharge machining, and flexible
robot assembly.
- Design
Research at Cranfield Institute
of Technology (PDF, 27k):
Description of EC-funded projects
in distributed design and
computerized design critics;
in distributed design, the
project has evolved into a
close look at what an interface
specification is in mechanical
design, so that distant designers
of subassemblies will be able
to work independently and
still have their subsystems
join and work properly
- Sophisticated
Concurrent Engineering without
Computers: Ecole Nationale
Superiere des Arts et Metiers
(PDF, 32k): A holistic approach
to concurrent engineering
based on a set of charts and
matrices, intended to capture
customer requirements and
convert them into suitable
concepts.
- Perspectives
on Artificial Intelligence
in Design (PDF, 23k):
Based on interviews with researchers
at several sites: my conclusion
is that AI seems able to create
training systems or journeyman
design programs that permit
young engineers to create
competent designs without
gross errors; however, they
appear to be better described
as "practitioner systems"
rather than "expert systems,"
since they display little
deep knowledge.
- From
Functional Specifications
to Concept Design - Strengths
and Weaknesses in Some Current
European Approaches (PDF,
50k): Describes attempts to
build computer systems that
either guide the designer
from function to geometry
or attempt to do so directly
using AI methods; most of
these attempts are less than
satisfying, mainly because
too much deep knowledge or
engineering science is not
yet known, and the gaps cannot
be made up with user interfaces,
a waterfall process, or expert
systems based on interviewing
practicing designers.
- From
Geometric Modeling to Product
Data Models: Collaboration
Between Engineering, Computer
Science, and Industry at Leeds
University (PDF, 32k):
Prof. de Pennington's project
began as CAD modeling and
has evolved to developing
product data models; the models
described have a strong CS
flavor and seek to connect
a top-down modeling paradigm
with associated engineering
analyses, data, and specifications.
- Design-build
Teams at Aerospatiale
(PDF, 18k): The interviewee
is responsible for providing
the CAD environment for engineers
who design the Airbus series
of aircraft; his views on
how his company and Boeing
approach this are interesting;
he is acutely aware of the
need for richer product data
models.
- Peugeot's
Manufacturing Technology Challenges
EC Assumptions (PDF, 18k):
Peugeot has developed a wide
variety of in-house capabilities
in design and manufacturing
system development; recent
research has attempted to
improve the systems engineering
capability and includes the
ability to make complete Bond
Graph models of complex mechanisms
like automatic transmissions.
- Systematic
Design of Modular Products
at Telemechanique (PDF,
23k): Telemechanique is like
Nippondenso in many ways and
its design methods are evolving
similarly; this interview
includes lots of rich thinking
on how to tie design processes
together to handle design
of families of products.
- Object-Oriented
CAD and Expert Blade Design
at Rolls-Royce (PDF, 18k):
R-R has completed an extended
reorganization process converting
from a functional organization
to a project organization
with multi-function design
teams; the report describes
several advanced CAD tools,
including collaborative design
over the satellite with Boeing.
- New
CAD Software from Dassault
Systemes: Starting to Combine
Design and Engineering
(PDF, 32k): This visit included
demos of CATIA v 4 which was
scheduled (at the time of
the visit) to be released
in December 1992. Instead
it was released in late 1994.
Capabilities expected to be
in v 4 include a sketcher,
an assembly modeler, features
and tolerances, and constraints.
Also described is the EC-sponsored
SCOPES project intended to
combine assembly modeling,
assembly planning, assembly
system design, and assembly
control hardware/software
design.
-
Dramatic
Reductions in Lead Time at
Volvo Based on Restructuring
the Design Process and Introducing
the Computer (PDF, 77k):
Visit hosts were from the
system engineering and communication
system department; these people
have a good systems view and
have been performing what
is now called re-engineering
of various design processes;
Volvo's design process is
highly computerized and integrated
but employs a variety of CAD
systems.
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