fundamental concepts of product/technology/process informational integration for process modelling...

Fundamental concepts of product/technology/process informational integration for processmodelling and process planning

A. BERNARD and N. PERRY

Abstract. The aim of this paper is to summarize the mainbasic concepts for data integration during a product’s lifecycle. This integration is necessary in order to favour a moreefficient communication between collaborators from inside oroutside the company, in a distributed design or e-designcontext. The information is based on models that structurethe concepts and allow their re-use due to the memorizationof design history. The current evolutions extend theprospective fields of this approach both to earlier stages(functional aspects, etc) and to later stages (logistics,recycling, etc). There remain, in a global vision of theenterprise, many prospective fields that should allow the totaltraceability of products during their life cycle.

1. Introduction

Product creation time has dramatically decreased,mainly due to product versatility and diversity. Themain reason is an increasing consumer demand to usecustomized products. Consequently, product realiza-tion is shortening and companies need new softwaretools and environments in order to be able tocollaborate with various partners, who are very oftendifferent from one project to another. Product,technology and process modelling are the base forinformational integration during product life-cyclemanagement. However, the efficiency of such anapproach depends on the possibility of memorizationand re-use of knowledge related to product andrealization technologies and processes (from theconcepts to the physical industrial objects and environ-ments). The knowledge base is, of course, technologicalbut is also related to management and organizationalaspects.

Information and knowledge management is neces-sary to support such an approach. There remain,however, two major difficulties: the determination ofwhat is the information that has to be memorized andhow to represent it in order to provide an efficient re-use. Many product life-cycle activities are computer-aided, such as design, process planning, productionscheduling, maintenance, etc. During these stages, theinformation and knowledge are related to the product,its environment (tools, production equipment), itslogistics (delivery) and its maintenance (usage his-tory). These activities concern different competenciesthat need much software, and which use severalformats to represent information contents. Thiscontent has to be presented to the users accordingto their own points of view depending on theircompetencies and needs.

In the following, some fundamental concepts ofproduct modelling are presented: design processmodelling, knowledge-based models related to produc-tion processes, and, more particularly, the link betweenproduct, technology and production process (Bernard1996, 2000). Some elements of the organizationalaspects are then considered before moving on to amore prospective part of this paper, which concerns atopic of interest for many industrial and service fields—a global information system for the individual trackingof products during their complete life cycle.

2. Product models

The first initiatives and results in the field ofinformation modelling related to products occurredabout ten to twelve years ago and were successful(Krause et al. 1993). It is important to underline somefundamentals on functional, structural and geometrical

Authors: Institut de Recherche en Communications et Cybernetique de Nantes(IRCCyN), UMR CNRS 6597, Nantes, France.E-mail: [email protected]

INT. J. COMPUTER INTEGRATED MANUFACTURING, 2003, VOL. 16, NO. 7–8, 557–565

International Journal of Computer Integrated ManufacturingISSN 0951-192X print/ISSN 1362-3052 online # 2003 Taylor & Francis Ltd

http://www.tandf.co.uk/journalsDOI: 10.1080/0951192031000115723

(physical) points of view of mechanical part andassembly modelling.

2.1. Functional, structural, physical (geometrical) aspects

At the beginning of the 1990s, Mony (1992)proposed a product model based on three essentialaspects:

. the functions that correspond to the require-ments,

. the parts and the components of the product,

. the geometry and the physical properties of eachof these parts and components.

Mony (1992) introduced this approach based on thefeature concept: ‘a parameterized geometric elementsgroup, handled like an object and having a semantics (amean) compared to one (or several) function(s) of theproduct engineering. Various attributes and methodscan be associated with these groups, thus enabling animprovement of the geometrical data and the handlingof high level semantic objects’. This concept enabledthe formalization of both representation and functionaland structural properties (accuracy, assembly condi-tions, etc). The link with production processes has alsobeen formalized thanks to the feature concept (tech-nological link, machining, etc).

Some main ideas have also been highlighted relatedto future orientations for some extensions and applica-tions of these concepts. In particular, ‘a function can berealized by one or more features or parts’, ‘a part or afeature can contribute to the realization of severalfunctions’, ‘in mechanical engineering, a given model isrelevant for a given application’, ‘each point of viewneeds a particular geometrical model that enables themanipulation of the elements that are essential for therealization of its own objectives’, ‘all the points of viewhave to be coherent’.

Of course, other significant contributions havefollowed these precursor works, including resultsobtained during Deklare (Saucier 1997, Vargas 1995)and Moka (Sellini 1999, Yvars 2001) projects, thechromosomal model based on domain theory (Andrea-sen 1991) or the level-based model (objectives, func-tions, physical structure, parts and assembly)(Grabowsky et al. 1995).

2.2. Behavioural aspect

A behavioural aspect has been introduced intothe product models, i.e. all the elements that

characterize every law, data, etc, and more generallythe performance criteria for the evaluation of thecoherency of the solutions relative to functionalrequirement.

An internationally well-known initiative, the FBSapproach (Function/Behaviour/Structure), at thebeginning of 1990s, supported a new orientationand has inspired the work of Harani (1997).Equations and variables of behaviour have beenintegrated into a product and a process model,joined to a point of view approach. This notion isdeveloped in the following.

2.3. Multi-view aspect

The notion of multi-views has been necessary inorder to let the professionals have access to a uniqueand integrated product model. This model has to beshared but all the information is not necessary. It isbetter to have specific semantics and interfaces. Onsuch a topic, the work from 3S laboratory has to behighlighted (Tichkiewitch 1996) and also that of K.Mawussi who proposed a model integrating therepresentation of the parts, of the raw parts andforming tools. The different views are related toforging part design, forging die design and manufac-turing (Mawussi 1995). Harani has also based herexperiments on a multi-view and multi-technologicalcase study: an electric engine.

Of course, these examples represent a very limitedpart compared to what is needed for the constructionand the exploitation of a multi-view product model inan industrial project environment. From a practicalpoint of view, a very important aspect is theconstruction and the evolution of each point of viewand the coherency control of the global productmodel.

Concerning the first aspect, Million (1998) hasproposed an original approach based on the ‘bridgefeature’ concept. Such a feature constitutes a transi-tion element that enables connection of a new pointof view model to the rest of the model. The spacededicated to the new part of the model is limited as anindependent structure in order to be able to modifythis part of the model without disturbing the rest ofthe model.

If one considers the second aspect related to theglobal coherency of the model, Sellini has proposed amethod to globally control the syntax of the model. Inthis context, it is also possible to check some incompa-tible combinations that correspond to mutual exclu-sions of technological solutions (Sellini 1999, Yvars2001).

558 A. Bernard and N. Perry

2.4. Diversity aspect

Diversity is also one of the basic concepts thatneed to be managed, mainly due to the customiza-tion demand. A typical example is the automotiveindustry. The theoretical number of combinationsis particularly large and is relatively well-mastered.In such an approach, automotive companies haveproposed some significant initiatives for the propo-sition of standardized representations of automotiveproducts and means used for their design andmanufacturing. One can notice a proposition ofimportant concepts in AP STEP 214 by Chambolle(1999), concepts integrated by PSA. Figure 1represents schematically how the diversity and thestructure at different levels (part, solution, assem-bly, function, vehicle) are taken into account inthe model. Based on such a structure, somerequests related to any kind of data can beexpressed in order to favour the search forinformation and then the process of decisionmaking during the different stages of an automo-tive project. These models constitute the basis fordata exchange with co-contractors and can serve asa reference for future projects. They contain bothtechnical and organizational information that re-present the links between the automotive productitself and what has to be necessarily used during avehicle’s life cycle.

3. Link between product and technology

Product models have to represent efficiently theinformation needed by the product life cycle. Thisimplies a better use of CAD environments and also amore efficient capability for the memorization and thetransmission of numerical data. However, according tocommon opinion, a real advantage depends on theintegration of the information related to the productdefinition with the information characterizing theproduction technologies and processes.

3.1. Technical aspect

This coherent integration has been improvedthanks to the results of several works, in particularthose of Villeneuve (1990) and Ben Younes (1994). BenYounes proposed an approach for the integration ofboth the product (based on features used to describethe shapes of the part, including the properties wantedfor the determination of machining capabilities such asaccessibility, tolerances, etc), the cutting tools necessaryfor machining each shape on the part (feature), andstrategies characterizing the possibilities of relatedmovement between the tool and the part (sequence).The main result of this work is the TSG concept (Tool-Sequence-Geometry) that enables the specification ofthe knowledge related to the machining of shapes on a

Figure 1. Representation of the basic concepts structuring the product model (Chambolle 1999).

559Informational integration

part (figure 2). This figure presents a partial view of theconceptual model, which shows the links between theTSG concepts and the data necessary for a machiningprocess generation.

Thanks to these elements, it is possible to specifyknowledge related to a particular skill but this is notsufficient enough to support the complete loop (fromthe specification and the choice of the process to theeffective realization of the product using the chosenprocess). A significant contribution for such a possibilityis the difference concept proposed by Magnet-Canet etal. (1995). This difference is evaluated by comparingthe theoretical definition of the perfect technology andthe representation of the real physical technologyeffectively used for manufacturing the part. This model,associated with a process planning functionality, is ableto deliver a first comparative evaluation between thetechnologies mastered by the company and otheremergent ones. This constitutes a factor that can favourthe integration of new productive technologies in goodconditions.

These new productive technologies constitute in-novation and competitiveness vectors, in the short andmedium term. They constitute a strategic challenge forthe company. Therefore, it is fundamental for compa-nies to be able to specify a requirement and to haveaccess capable technical processes in order to obtain acoherent solution in a given technical-economic con-text. The knowledge related to validated solutions, the

access to the knowledge of some experts from thecompany, and a realistic perception of actual servicecapabilities, constitute key factors for product develop-ment. This is why industrial companies are increasinglyinterested in search engines that can access somedynamic knowledge from all over the world. This ispossible thanks to new active cognitive agents (Bernardand Brissaud 2001) that are software enabling access todata but also facilitating requests for specific demands.These new possibilities constitute a strategic opportu-nity for product and process integration in order to beable, very efficiently, to generate process planning fornew products according to actualized industrial tech-nologies and services. The cognitive agents are basedon knowledge data models that link specificationconcepts to manufacturing process planning. Thus,the most efficient solution today seems to be based onrepresentative validated solutions, corresponding torealistic performance levels that depend on thetechnical capabilities of modelled processes.

This last idea has driven the research of Deglin andBernard (2000). The goal of such work was tomemorize a database with case studies (successes andfailures) related to typical rapid product developmentprocesses. These processes are mainly applicable to themanufacturing of prototype parts and products but alsoto the industrialization phase. The memorization andexploitation phases are based on an efficient man–machine interface and all the manipulated data are

Figure 2. Fundamental structure of TSG concept (Ben Younes 1994).


built using the proposed conceptual model (figure 3).This model represents the generic fundamental con-cepts that enable case studies and correspondingrequirements to be represented. This corresponds todifferent models (user needs, requirements, technologyand meta-technology, material, process, service provi-der company, state (numerical or physical). Thedefinition of the user needs and the search for asolution are directly accessible via a specialized man–machine interface, based on the Kadviser environment.The search engine is basically local for the first step ofthis approach and works based on case-based reasoning.If no valid solution is found, the system uses theascendant generation algorithm based on the followingprinciple: ‘from a final state corresponding to the user

requirements, the algorithm selects all the technologiesthat are able to deliver a part in the final state’. Then,for each initial state of each selected technology, thealgorithm analyses the initial state of each selectedtechnology. If it corresponds to the initial state given inthe user requirements, it memorizes it as a possiblesolution. If not, it considers each of these intermediarystates as the new final states to be obtained. Then itapplies the same principle as long as the initial state hasbeen found for each branch of the process or as long asthere is no technology able to deliver the intermediarystate. Such a branch is deleted and the solutions aredelivered to the user. Each process solution is struc-tured as a succession of states. The transition betweentwo states is characterized by one or several technolo-

Figure 3. Conceptual model for knowledge representation on rapid product development (Deglin and Bernard 2000).


gies. Such a sequence of states and technologiesconstitutes a process solution.

In the future, some efforts are going to be focusedon a generalization of this approach for utilizationbased on cognitive agents connected to a requestanalyser. A first experiment has been to test theapproach through the use of distributed databasesaccessible through the internet. The main difficultiesare, on one hand, the dynamic aspect of knowledge(rapid and frequent changes, new technologies, newperformances) and on the other hand the motivation ofeach expert to contribute to the formalization of hisown knowledge according to generic concepts. Thissecond aspect depends on the expert motivation tounderstand the concepts and to contribute to theirevolution in order to improve the efficiency of the useof the memorized knowledge.

3.2. Socio-technical aspect

This aspect of complex systems and processes hasnot been so much studied. However, there is an interestin such an orientation because industrial environmentshave to be safe and secure, both for the technicaldysfunctional behaviour and for user safety. It is,therefore, particularly important to integrate, duringthe design stage, some aspects related to the workplaceand environment and to potential risks due to technicalchoices for some particular function.

This is mainly why the CNRS (National ResearchCouncil for Science) has initiated the PROSPERprogram. In this context, the INRS (National Institutefor Research and Safety) and a group of partners(which included the CRAN), have decided to proposeand develop an initiative based on the taking intoaccount the working situations during the design phase.Moreover, one of the goals was to give the user thepossibility of evaluating the consequences of particularlimiting working conditions and their influence on thedesign of the production systems.

Hasan et al. (2000) proposed an approach based onthe working situation concept and, more particularly,on integration during the design of socio-technicalaspects and the interaction between the technicalsystem and humans during the life cycle of theproduction system. The results already obtained andthe current display within the framework of a demon-strative software tool can make this kind of approachmore widespread. The aim is to work towards a genericmethodology in order to integrate the life cycle of thesystem from the design stage. There are otherparticular aspects connected to the safety of peopleduring the intervention on the technical system

(normal use, degraded modes, change of production,maintenance, After-Sales Service Department, etc). Theconcept of a working situation enables the setting up ofrelations between the technical system and the workteam, whatever the mode of intervention, the task, thetools and necessary consumables required to carry outthese tasks. Elements can be found that lead to anincident, even to an accident, through the concepts‘environment’, ‘dangerous event’, ‘dangerous zone’,‘risk’, ‘dangerous phenomenon’. The dynamic aspectof the working situations (the chain of the operationsduring tasks and use) appears on this model throughthe notion of operator of composition, but is repre-sented today using Petri networks. From the latter, it ispossible to obtain and to control the totality of theavailable procedures in the user manuals.

It is clear that numerous research works will benecessary to characterize the most significant and/orinfluential parameters, with the aim of evaluation them.This evaluation can, considering the current promisinginitiatives, be supported by tools and environments ofthe virtual reality kind, in which one can immerseoperators in their future working frame and put themin virtual contact with the system during the designstage.

This method could be also generalized in anyphases of a product elaboration, as well as in that ofits life, when the product is itself a system on whichpeople should intervene safely during its life (a car, forexample, during the realization phases of the vehicle,during the production phases, during the use phase,during the maintenance operations, etc). It is clear thatall the links exist and that true progress lies in theirintegration as a support of an information system whichis agent-based (grouping together the various tools andenvironments of modelling and simulation) and alsocoherent (based on realistic and evolutionary modelstaking into account experience feedback in simulationand during the life of the system).

4. Design process models

Elements presented previously are really useful onlyif the structured information can be managed, dis-tributed and re-used. Furthermore, the context ofdesign is directed to a cooperative and distributedframe, because of the shared data and the multi-competence indispensable in the realization of pro-ducts (Salau 1995, Blanco 1998, Garro 1999).

This context is characterized by basic elementsenabling the representation and the memorization ofthe design process (Tollenaere et al. 1998). For someyears, numerous initiatives have considered this re-


search problem of the definition and integration ofconceptual models of data and processing, as well thedefinition and implementation of informational envir-onments based on memorization of ongoing and pastproject knowledge. This also concerns elements relativeto the product itself as well as its process of design andelaboration. It became indispensable to a better under-standing of why, how, etc, each piece of information isattached to the product. This is why numerous researchworks aim at memorizing what has to be done duringthe life of the product. The above points have beenqualified as design history, design intents, etc (Ouazza-ni 1999).

Formalisms of process representation exist (Verna-dat 1996). One can quote IDEF3, Petri networks, GRAInetworks, etc; however, these elements do not constitutea general solution for the representation and for themanagement of the industrial knowledge. This is whybasic elements, richer than those available in the classicapproaches were proposed.

One can quote, for example, the works of Ouazzaniet al. (1998) who proposed a model based on theconcepts of objective, action, argument and alternative.This structure takes into account the resources to beused (human, physical, software, etc) as well as thechain of the actions and the structure of the objectives.This process model is connectable with the productmodel through the notion of the state. It is managed byspecific actions called ‘management actions’.

It is also necessary to mention the works of otherlaboratories in this field, through the works of A.Saucier and C. Vargas, those of Y. Harani (integratingthe notion of task, operator and of release mechanism)and finally those of P. Girard and B. Eynard (Eynard1999), completing the basic tools of GRAI networks(Doumeingts et al. 1996) in the specific design frame.The characterization and the modelling of the pro-cesses remain problems on which the researchers keepworking, by trying, in particular, to widen the applica-tion field of the model in all phases of the product lifecycle (Brissaud and Tichkiewitch 2001).

5. Organizational aspects for information access

Because of industrial globalization, the knowledgeand the resources are more widely distributed tonumerous sites. The necessary implication of thevarious skills as soon as possible during the life cycleof products results in the need to quickly reachdistributed information, structured by knowledge foreach skill, under the coordinator’s responsibility. Thelatter have simultaneously to master the technicalprocesses and also the process of development in

design. This new mode of organization, e-design, e-engineering, e-manufacturing (Bernard and Brissaud2001) is set up thanks mainly to two catalyst factors: the‘net’, the NTIC (New Technologies of Information andCommunication), and the formalization of knowledgeat the level of specific agents being organized in multi-agent networks. These agents are based on models ofthe product, technology, technical and design processesas described above.

This organization opens up possibilities for theintegration of every new agent, but also represents allthe difficulty of information search and expertisecoordination with regard to a given request: technical,economic, social, etc. Numerous research piecesremain to be investigated in this domain, the knowl-edge becoming quickly obsolete.

It is also important to underline critical aspects forthe intra and inter company communication. Suchcommunication is related, in particular, to the qualityand the security of the information exchanges, thetraceability of decisions, and the group dynamiccommunications during meetings. It is related to animportant part of research for the scientific communityand corresponds to a sensitive aspect of efficiency andthe ability of companies to react.

6. Process: key concept for performance

In the whole industrial context, the key factor isprofit—by use of economically realistic means and byrespecting the constraints of inconstancy due to themarket. For that purpose, knowledge of the costs and,more generally, the value transfers become essentialduring the phases of development.

It therefore becomes necessary to be able to rapidlymeasure in different terms (technical, economic, social,of service, etc), the consequences of a decision on theproduct (creation, evolution, standardization, diversifi-cation, etc). Consequently, it becomes possible tostructure all the processes inherent in the product lifefrom elementary fundamental processes mastered inquality terms, cost and time.

This approach also constitutes a base of evaluationfor the company at the strategic, tactical and opera-tional levels for the choice of fundamental orientations.Indeed, it is then possible to estimate a priori theconsequences of such a choice, the opportunity of themeasure of the impact of these decisions on theprocesses deployed for some product valorization.

As was shown, it is already difficult to memorizeenough technical knowledge to be able to suggestoptimal industrial processes. This is why a managerialapproach focused on industrial values and costs


becomes possible. Such an approach enables knowl-edge and competence to be estimated that are essentialto the deployment of a given process. The mainconsequence is the mastering of the interactionsbetween processes in order to be able to better estimatethe impact of a given modification, etc.

7. Summary

This article presents aspects connected to theproblem of modelling products and systems (linked toprocess modelling and planning) as well as theirprocesses. The content is naturally not exhaustive, butrepresentative of coherent tendencies that open furtherperspectives of these research topics.

There is also the question of elements related to thestructure of information linked to the current organiza-tions by competence or profession, which results inmore and more complex information systems based onthe notion of cognitive agents.

These systems will be increasingly used to assistdecision processes in all the levels of the company. Thiscan be realistic industrially only by mastering thestrategic parameters that are characteristic of each ofthe elementary processes of a product’s life cycle.

The modelling and the assistance to the generationor the evaluation of the processes are key factors in themastery of products and industrial systems life cycles.These models and methods are based more and moreon different kinds of knowledge, mainly technical,economic, social, environmental.

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