Abstract
This paper describes recent developments in the Design and Process Planning Integration (DPPI) project at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The project addresses the need for improved communication between design and process planning in the early product design stage. Since major manufacturing costs are committed during product specification and design, it is critical to successfully assess manufacturability and cost as early as possible in the design process. Documenting the DPPI foundation, this paper reviews industry needs for an integrated design and manufacturing environment for rapid product development. Additionally, this paper describes the project’s approach and the current status. Conceptual design and process planning prototype systems, that have been implemented, are also described. Finally, it describes the future direction for developing mechanisms to enable the integration of design and process planning, including information models and language interface specifications.
