A hierarchical case process knowledge model for supporting rapid process configuration

Rapid product development relies heavily on the role of process planning and knowledge sharing. Process configuration combines the principles of product configuration and process planning. It allows the reuse of the multi-level historical and case manufacturing process knowledge to generate process plans efficiently and effectively. This paper presents a hierarchical knowledge model for manufacturing process cases, to systematically model case process knowledge at different levels of granularity and to facilitate process configuration. With this model the case process knowledge is divided into 6 levels: (i) core process skeletons, (ii) process networks, (iii) process routes, (iv) process segments, (v) resource specific processes, and (vi) resource specific operations (namely workingsteps). Such hierarchical case knowledge can be retrieved and reused during the process configuration to provide part information at different levels including part category, key characteristics, part family, macro or compound features, micro features and feature faces. A graphical process configuration prototype based on this knowledge model is developed and an example is used to validate the proposed case process knowledge model and process configuration.