The Open Assembly Model for the Exchange of Assembly and Tolerance Information: Overview and Example Available to Purchase

In early design phases an effective information exchange among CAD (Computer Aided Design) tools depends on a standardized representation for the product data in all PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) tools. The NIST Core Product Model (CPM) and its extension are proposed to provide the required base-level product model that is open, non-proprietary, generic, extensible, independent of any one product development process and capable of capturing the full engineering context commonly shared in product development [1,2]. The Open Assembly Model (OAM) Model extends CPM to provide a standard representation and exchange protocol for assembly. The assembly information model emphasizes the nature and information requirements for part features and assembly relationships. The model includes both assembly as a concept and assembly as a data structure. For the latter it uses the model data structures of ISO 10303, informally known as the Standard for the Exchange of Product model data (STEP)[3]. The objective of the paper is to show how the OAM can be used to realize seamless integration of product information, with an emphasis on assembly, throughout all phases of a product design. A gearbox design example is used to illustrate the process.