Title: Knowledge web-based system to support e-manufacturing of injection moulded products

Authors: Karina Rodriguez, Ahmed Al-Ashaab

Addresses: School of Engineering and Built Environment, Wolverhampton University, Telford Campus Shifnal Road, Priorslee, Telford TF2 9NT, Shropshire, UK. ' School of Engineering and Built Environment, Wolverhampton University, Telford Campus Shifnal Road, Priorslee, Telford TF2 9NT, Shropshire, UK

Abstract: Companies have adopted a geographically distributed working approach in order to remain competitive in a global market. As such, activities like design and manufacturing are being performed by companies located in different places and countries. This global engineering environment has led to the distribution of product life cycle information and knowledge affecting the collaboration throughout product development. Although information technologies, such as the internet, provide a partial solution to support such collaboration, there is still a need to support decision making by providing the right information and knowledge in the place, time and format required by the geographically distributed companies. This paper presents the research conducted to develop a digitalised representation of product life cycle knowledge to support e-manufacturing of injection moulding products. Such representation is the kernel of a Knowledge driven Collaborative Product Development (KdCPD) system to support the effective collaboration in a global engineering environment.

Keywords: collaborative product development; knowledge models; knowledge-based engineering; KBE; e-manufacturing; electronic manufacturing; injection moulding; product life cycle knowledge; collaboration; global engineering; global manufacturing; distributed manufacturing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMTM.2007.012165

International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2007 Vol.10 No.4, pp.400-418

Published online: 26 Jan 2007 *

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