Distributed collaborative design and manufacturability assessment for extended enterprise in XML-based agent system

Reports on a pilot application of a decision-making environment for part manufacturability assessment in extended enterprises using collaborative design and manufacturing agents. The system is implemented as an XML/CORBA-based environment for conveying design and manufacturing messages across traditional technology boundaries. The approach is based on the exchange of manufacturability requests and product information between different agents using a new Manufacturability Markup Language (MML). This paper provides an overview of key domain models and their integration within the decision-making environment. The reported research aims to provide designers with a rapid manufacturability assessment tool to be used at an early design stage in extended manufacturing enterprises.