An investigation on Web-based collaborative product structure management

Product Structure Management (PSM) is a term that describes the activities in handling product structures. It has been integrated into PDM and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. Meanwhile, collaboration among members of VEs is becoming inevitable in designing complex assemblies. However, lack of integrity of application systems within VEs prevents an efficient collaboration. In this thesis, Collaborative Product Structure Management (CPSM) and its application in configuration design and management through integrating product data originated from heterogeneous CAD platforms are discussed. Particularly, the IDEF0 function model of CPSM system is created by integration of collaboration requirements and PSM functionality. A STEP compatible information model consisting of project management, bill of materials, part identification and design specification UoFs is established to capture information required in CPSM activities. Finally, the architecture and implementation of the CPSM prototyping system are discussed. Its application in design reuse and configuration design and management is addressed.