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Virtual Manufacturing: An Emerging Technology

R. Radharamanan

School of Engineering, Mercer University, Macon, GA 31207

Abstract

In this paper, Virtual Manufacturing (VM), an emerging technology, that provides the capability to “Manufacture in the Computer”, and the modeling approaches necessary to realize VM are presented and discussed. VM has the ability to interchange models between their use in simulation and control environments. The use of VM concepts improves decision-making and quickly achieves products with high performance and quality at a low cost. VM can provide accurate and realistic means to predict schedule, cost, and quality; address affordability as an iterative solution; and bridge the gap between engineering (design) and manufacturing in an interactive fashion. The benefits, costs, limitations, and risks associated with adopting VM are highlighted and discussed.

1. Introduction

It is known that acquisition strategies require the capability to prove the manufacturability and affordability of new products/systems prior to the commitment of large production resources and/or to shelving the system for restart in the future. Loosing the manufacturing capability and experience in production is a major risk in the current manufacturing environment 6, 8. Maintaining the state-of-the art manufacturing proficiency without actually building/ manufacturing the products is a major challenge. Virtual Manufacturing meets the above challenges by providing the capability, in essence, to continue manufacturing in the virtual world of the computer. Through the use of distributed manufacturing modeling and simulation, VM enables the enterprises to evaluate the producibility and affordability of new product and/or process concepts with respect to risks, their impacts on manufacturing capabilities, production capacity, and cost.

Virtual Manufacturing is one of the key technologies that allow going beyond the assumptions driving the old acquisition strategies. It provides the following fundamental changes: VM can be used to “prove out” the production processes, resulting in “pre-production hardened systems” - i.e., the systems which are developed and verified but never actually undergo actual production runs; VM can significantly improve production flexibility, and hence, reduce the fixed costs; and VM can substantially improve the decision making process of acquisition managers by reliably predicting schedule, risks, and costs.

“Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright Ó 2002, American Society for Engineering Education”

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Radharamanan, R. (2002, June), Virtual Manufacturing: An Emerging Technology Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10485