Intelligent Manufacturing € January € 1997 € Vol. 3 € No. 1
Intelligent Manufacturing € January € 1997 € Vol. 3
€ No. 1
Thanks to the emerging strategy of collaborative computing, every department &emdash; even every employee &emdash; can be linked throughout a manufacturing enterprise (see last month's cover story). Virtual reality (VR) developers are now taking the collaborative computing idea a step further, making VR technology accessible throughout the enterprise during a product's entire lifecycle.
Division Inc. (San Mateo, Calif.; www.division.com), for instance, has developed the universal virtual product (UVP), a fully functional product simulation that can be used to rapidly study all aspects of a product's form, fit and function. The UVP is a common medium through which all members of the enterprise &emdash; regardless of where they are physically located &emdash; can access, visualize, interact with, and understand the product. UVP can be used throughout the product lifecycle for conceptual design, marketing, detailed design, manufacturing simulation, training, sales, and other applications that will evolve as companies implement the new concept.
Similarly, Deneb Robotics Inc. (Auburn Hills, Mich.; www.deneb.com) has developed a virtual collaborative engineering (VCE) environment that links multiple users at multiple locations, allowing them to analyze and review simulations over a wide area network. According to Deneb, users can interactively evaluate trade-off decisions involving design concepts, manufacturing processes, tooling, and factory layouts in the VCE environment. Any VCE user can assume control of a simulation, make changes, or view changes made by others on the VCE network.
By using a collaborative virtual prototyping environment, conceivably everybody in a manufacturing enterprise, including those at remote locations, can have access to live models, which incorporate real-time visualization, animation and functional simulation features. The idea is to improve communication by helping users better understand the numerous aspects of the design, such as clearances, how parts will move in relation to one another, collision avoidance, how people will interact with the product, and how assemblies will come together and be taken apart.
Division sees its UVP as being closer in characteristics to a physical prototype than a digital prototype. Some of the UVP's specific functions include:
When properly integrated with a product data management (PDM) system, dVISE can be automatically updated to ensure that users always have a current view of the UVP. Since dVISE is available as a Netscape Navigator plug-in, the UVP can be accessed by remote users via a Web browser.
Deneb, meanwhile, has embedded its VCE environment in its new Virtual NC machine tool simulation software, which is designed for detecting and
resolving CNC machine program inefficiencies or errors. CNC programmers, design engineers and machine operators can review setups monitor process parameters, validate CNC programs and select tooling without using the actual machine tool. Deneb claims early users of its Virtual NC have reported a reduction in machining cycle times of 25%, a reduction in "dry runs" of up to 90%, and perhaps most importantly, the avoidance of hundreds of potential collisions involving the components of the machine tool, cutting tools and the workpiece.
One of the keys to any new technology is keeping it simple enough
that users don't feel they have to reinvent the wheel to implement
it. While manufacturers have begun to realize the real-world benefits
of virtual reality, convincing them that collaborative computing
really works will be a hard sell indeed. We'll continue to report
significant advances in the technology as it evolves.
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More News, More Often in '97 Beginning this month, Lionheart Publishing will launch a Newsroom site on the World Wide Web that will offer news and information, covering a variety of topics, on a daily basis. The MANUFACTURING site, for instance, includes news, product announcements, conference information, and similar material culled from the active files of Lionheart's manufacturing publications. Regular Intelligent Manufacturing subscribers &emdash; both hard copy and online subscribers &emdash; will continue to receive the same amount of news and features in their monthly newsletters; think of the Newsroom as a bonus, since it will feature some news items that might otherwise never see print. The Newsroom also includes an expanded version of Electronic Commerce Update. And please tell your colleagues to check out the Newsroom, too. |