Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com
ScienceDirect
Available ScienceDirect
Availableonline
onlineatatwww.sciencedirect.com
www.sciencedirect.com
Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2019) 000–000
ScienceDirect
ScienceDirect 
Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2019) 000–000 www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
Procedia Manufacturing 28 (2019) 107–113
Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2017) 000–000
www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia
International Conference on Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable and Virtual Production
International Conference on Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable and Virtual Production
Communication and Knowledge Management Platform for
Communication and Knowledge Management Platform for
Concurrent
Manufacturing Product
Engineering Societyand Assembly
International System
Conference 2017,Development
MESIC 2017, 28-30 June
Concurrent Product and Assembly System
2017, Vigo (Pontevedra), Spain
Development
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Rainer Mülleraa, Dipl.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirt.Ing. Leenhard Höraufaa,
Prof. Dr.-Ing.Christoph
Rainer Müller , Dipl.-Ing.
a Dipl.-Wirt.Ing. Leenhard Hörauf
a,
* ,
CostingDipl.-Ing.
models for Speicher
capacity and Dipl.-Wirt.Ing.
optimization in Johannes
Industry Obele
4.0:
Dipl.-Ing. Christoph Speicher and Dipl.-Wirt.Ing. Johannes Obelea,*
a Trade-off
between used capacity and operational efficiency
a
Center for Mechatronics and Automation gGmbH (ZeMA), Group of Assembly Systems and Automation Technology, Eschberger Weg 46,
a 66121Group
Center for Mechatronics and Automation gGmbH (ZeMA), Saarbrücken, Germany
of Assembly Systems and Automation Technology, Eschberger Weg 46,
66121 Saarbrücken, Germany
A. Santanaa, P. Afonsoa,*, A. Zaninb, R. Wernkeb
Abstract
Abstract a
University of Minho, 4800-058 Guimarães, Portugal
In order to generate a common understanding b
during assembly
Unochapecó, systems
89809-000 development,
Chapecó, SC, Brazil a method is devised. This method improves
communication
In order to generateand aknowledge management and
common understanding is implemented
during assembly systemsas a software tool. The
development, tool visualizes
a method theThis
is devised. assembly system
method with
improves
its components and
communication and the interconnection
knowledge managementbetween andthem. Individual as
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a software tool. The toolof visualizes
the product, thethe necessary
assembly assembly
system with
processes
its and the
components andassociated production between
the interconnection resourcesthem.
are schematically
Individual partsvisualized and represented
and subassemblies of thebyproduct,
means of thevisualization objects.
necessary assembly
Abstract
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processes improve knowledge
the associated retrieval,resources
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semantic description
visualizedofand
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files
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order proposed. The bundling
knowledge of information
retrieval, a method forand files indescription
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of the enables
individual fast and cross-project
components access
as well as their CAD-to
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proposed. The"Industry
drawings. 4.0",
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bundling of production
interrelated
information processes
and files in oneawill
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the assembly
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is created.
fast and interconnected,
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information
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existing based
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platform, the basis
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schematic
connecting necessarily,objects,
interrelated much
of amore
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the assembly context, is capacity
the possibility optimization
to search
created. The semantic
web-based
goes beyondofthe
descriptions
implementation oftraditional
data improves
the aimthe
of schematic
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platform, maximization, ofcontributing
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visualization assemblyalso
the knowledge. systemfor as
organization’s profitability
well the possibility andsemantic
to search value.
Indeed,
descriptionsleanof data
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improves communication improvement
and access to existingapproaches
knowledge. suggest capacity optimization instead of
© 2019 The Authors.
maximization. Published
The study by Elsevier
of capacity B.V.
optimization and costing models is an important research topic that deserves
© 2019
This
© 2019 The
is an
The Authors.
open
Authors. Published
accessbotharticle
Published by
by Elsevier
under the CC
Elsevier B.V.
BY-NC-ND
B.V. license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
contributions from the practical and theoretical
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license perspectives. This paper presents and discusses a mathematical
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Peer-review
This
model is an under
open responsibility
access
for capacity article of
under
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thescientific
CC
based committee
BY-NC-ND
on different of the
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costing International Conference on Changeable, Agile, model
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
models (ABC and TDABC). A generic Reconfigurable
has been
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable
and Virtual
Peer-review Production.
under
developed
and Virtual and it was used to analyze idle capacity and to design strategies towards the maximization ofReconfigurable
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organization’s
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value. The trade-off capacity maximization vs operational efficiency is highlighted and it is shown that capacity
Keywords: Product development; assembly system development; concurrent engineering; semantic system description; assembly system graph
optimization might
Keywords: Product hide operational
development; inefficiency.
assembly system development; concurrent engineering; semantic system description; assembly system graph
© 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference
1. Introduction
2017.
1. Introduction
Due toCost
Keywords: theModels;
high competitive
ABC; TDABC;pressure and short development
Capacity Management; cycles ofEfficiency
Idle Capacity; Operational consumer products, assembly systems are
Due tointhe
ordered thehigh
earlycompetitive
stages of pressure
the productand development
short development cycles
process [1]. of
Theconsumer products,
development assembly
of product systems
and are
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ordered in the early stages of the product development process [1]. The development of product and assembly
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +49 681 85787 553 ; fax: +49 681 85787 11.
1. Introduction
* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: Tel.: +49 681 85787 553 ; fax: +49 681 85787 11.
j.obele@zema.de
E-mail address: j.obele@zema.de
The cost of idle capacity is a fundamental information for companies and their management of extreme importance
2351-9789
in modern©production
2019 The Authors. Published
systems. by Elsevier
In general, it isB.V.
defined as unused capacity or production potential and can be measured
This is an open
2351-9789 access
© 2019 Thearticle under
Authors. the CC BY-NC-ND
Published license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
by Elsevier B.V.
in several ways: tons of production, available hours of manufacturing, etc. The management of the idle capacity
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable and Virtual
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
* Paulo Afonso. Tel.: +351 253 510 761; fax: +351 253 604 741
Production.
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable and Virtual
E-mail address: psafonso@dps.uminho.pt
Production.

2351-9789
2351-9789©©2017
2019The
TheAuthors.
Authors. Published by Elsevier
Published B.V. B.V.
by Elsevier
Peer-review underaccess
This is an open responsibility
article of the scientific
under committee oflicense
the CC BY-NC-ND the Manufacturing Engineering Society International Conference 2017.
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Changeable, Agile, Reconfigurable
and Virtual Production.
10.1016/j.promfg.2018.12.018
108 Rainer Müller et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 28 (2019) 107–113
2 Author name / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2019) 000–000

system are therefore performed simultaneously. This has the advantage of improving quality, reducing costs and
reducing time to market. However, the simultaneous development is associated with increased communication
effort, since product, process and resources are closely related. Changes to one of the system partners can also affect
the other system partners [2, 3]. Communication in the system development process is often difficult and error-
prone, because members of the project team might come from different departments. A common understanding of
the assembly system is therefore essential for the success of the project. In order to submit an offer to the customer
in a short time, several departments work simultaneously on the specification sheet. Due to the analogue
specification sheet processing, different and inconsistent versions of the specification sheet are available in the
departments, resulting in failures.
Although each assembly system is designed and optimized specifically for a product, many components from
already built systems can be reused directly or with small adaptations. The designation of drawings is often not very
helpful for an efficient search. As a result, finding the right component drawing quickly turns out to be an obstacle
for a high reuse rate of component drawings.
Thus, this paper presents a method as well as a communication and knowledge management platform. These
provide a common understanding of the overall system and a simple, transparent and media-free communication
between all participants as well as an efficient knowledge management for small and medium-sized enterprises.

2. State of the art

The planning and development of assembly systems combines several topics. The consideration of the state of the
art focuses on topics relevant to the presented method: assembly system planning, simultaneous / collaborative
engineering and knowledge management.

2.1. Assembly system planning

Various authors present different methods and procedures for planning assembly systems. The product is the
starting point in the method presented by Müller. Based on the product and the product analysis, the assembly
processes and the required resources are defined. The procedure is recursively designed, so that the
interdependencies are included in the planning [4]. Eilers takes up this concept and adds a method for planning
multivariant product assembly systems [5]. Kluge puts the focus on the analysis of resource capabilities and on the
consideration of the influence of different piece number scenarios on the assembly system [6]. Konold and Reger
divide the assembly process planning process into five phases [7]. There are many other planning methods in the
literature. The examined methods focus on the planning of assembly systems and less on the topics knowledge
management and collaborative engineering.

2.2. Simultaneous, concurrent and collaborative engineering

Over time, the simultaneous development of systems was named differently (Simultaneous Engineering,
Concurrent Engineering, Collaborative Engineering). The term Collaborative Engineering is the broadest and is used
hereafter. The technical literature presents various methods in this field [3, 8-10]. Despite the variety of software
tools, these are not sufficiently developed to cover all aspects of the task [8]. In particular, classical product lifecycle
management systems (PLM) do not meet the requirements of Collaborative Engineering [10].

2.3. Knowledge Management

For a successful knowledge management system in companies, it has to be understood which information is
relevant and which goals are pursued [11]. In particular, rapid integration of employees, the use of existing
knowledge and consistent documentation throughout the product lifecycle pose a challenge for small and medium-
sized enterprises [12]. Another success factor for companies is the ability of employees to access existing knowledge
[13]. Knowledge management is implemented in companies with different systems such as wikis, document
 Rainer Müller et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 28 (2019) 107–113 109
Author name / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2019) 000–000 3

management systems, blogs, groupware systems, forums, etc. [14-16]. Depending on the system used, access to the
searched information is difficult due to the lack of connectivity of information from different systems [17].

3. Method

The aim of the presented work is to develop a method to improve the assembly system development process. This
method consists of different modules and is implemented as a modular software. In order to create a uniform user
interface and cross-linked data, the individual software modules are integrated into a software platform. Subsequent
three elements of the method as well as their implementation in the software environment is described.

3.1. Visualization

One module is the method for schematic visualization of the assembly system. The planning of an assembly
system includes the holistic consideration of the product structure, the process structure and the resources. In order to
create a uniform understanding of the assembly system, a method for the representation of the system components
and their relationships to each other is developed. Depending on the project stage, different degrees of detail are
required. During quote preparation, a concept and rough planning of the system is created, whereas in the design
phase a detailed planning is carried out. The visualization method can be used from project start to project
completion.
The use of 3D models for visualization is common practice, but these models are created in an advanced stage
and are therefore not available for rough planning. In addition, the representation of processes and the relationships
between product, processes and resources with 3D models is unclear or inaccurate. Therefore, the assembly system
is schematically represented by visualization objects representing respective system elements. The user interface of
the visualization environment is divided into three functional areas, the left column with the offered visualization
objects (supermarket), the display area and the information and work area (Figure 1). Visualization objects in the
supermarket are divided into the main groups: product, process, resources and boundary conditions, so that required
visualization objects can be accessed quickly. Within the main groups a further subdivision into subgroups takes
place, for example joining processes are classified according to DIN8593-6 [18]. The standard-compliant
classification enables assembly system planning according to uniform standards.
A visualization object can be placed onto the display area via drag and drop. The area for displaying the entire
system can be divided into several areas known as lanes. To ensure clarity, a representation with three lanes
(product, processes and resources) is used in this paper. However, further lanes and thus also further intermediate
steps of the assembly system planning process can be added without big efforts. An assembly system consists of
Product

Visualization
objects Information
Process

supermarket and work area

Resources

Display area

Figure 1: Graphic user interface of the visualization tool

110 Rainer Müller et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 28 (2019) 107–113
4 Author name / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2019) 000–000

many individual elements for the sake of clarity, visualization objects can be grouped together to form a higher-level
object. In this way, the number of elements displayed can be significantly reduced.
Visualization objects have inputs and outputs that are connected to each other by means of edges. In- and outputs
can be coded, so that only out- and inputs of the same type can be coupled. Different interfaces (mechanical,
electrical, hydraulic, software interfaces, etc.) can be visualized using different edge types. By connecting
visualization objects (nodes) with connecting lines (edges), a graph of the assembly system is created. This graph
can be further processed with software systems such as a graph database or an ontology editor. For further
processing a uniform and consistent data structure is necessary. Consequently, for each visualization object input
masks are provided. This input masks offering user assistance during data entry by means defined input fields. Due
to the high individuality of the visualization objects used, one can additionally describe individual properties in a
free text field.
In the right part of the user interface the work and information area is allocated. In this area input masks and
information for respective visualization objects are displayed. Moreover, various additional modules such as a
document management tool, a project management tool and a communication tool are integrated in this area.
Modules of the work area are called via the visualization object’s menu bar. In this way, a link between visualization
objects and data entered can be created.
For a smooth exchange of data between software systems several exchange formats are available. After analyzing
and evaluating data-formats like XML, YML, JSON and JSON-LD (JSON-based serialization for linked data), the
JSON-LD format proved to be the most advantageous. This format also offers the possibility to semantically
annotate data within the file and to transfer data into an RDF model (Resource Description Framework) and thus
also into the Web Ontology Language (OWL). Data entered by the user in the visualization environment and
information about interconnections of visualization objects can be exported and imported using JSON-LD files. In
this way other software environments such as a PLM System, graph database, an ontology editor, a program for
detailed project planning, etc. can be connected to the visualization tool.

3.2. Knowledge Management and Semantic Search

Reusing concepts and design drawings is a challenge for many companies. Documents such as CAD drawings,
sketches or images cannot be searched for keywords like text documents. To increase the reuse rate of existing
concepts, a method is required that allows quick access to knowledge stored in files that are not automatically
searchable. Knowledge of the designer is transferred into the design drawing of a component (Figure 3a). By
digitally saving the drawing, this knowledge is made accessible to other persons. However, if the file is saved
without additional information under a frequently used file name, such as baseplate.stp, it is very unlikely that the
drawing and the knowledge it contains will be reused. A designer would have to find the right file from all files
named with baseplate.stp. This search is time consuming and often takes more time than creating a new design
drawing.
If a content description is attached to files, a required file can be searched more efficiently. Semantic description
of files with metadata is created by using keywords. Compared to a description of the file content using continuous
text, a description with key words can be carried out in a shorter time. A sufficiently precise description of file
contents is nevertheless achieved. Compared to simple naming of a file, semantic contents description requires
additional effort from the designer. However, this additional effort to be done has proven to be less than searching
for an undescribed file or creating a new design drawing.
 Rainer Müller et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 28 (2019) 107–113 111
Author name / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2019) 000–000 5

Main-group Sub-groups Keyword with prefix

properties geometric object sensor #object_sensor

properties
gripper #object_gripper
material installation project
linear axis #object_linear-axis
position
control unit #object_control-unit
problem document type procurement
… #object_ …

Fig. 2. Classification of keywords into main groups and subgroups

The method is implemented as a web-based software. This software enables the user to save files and enrich them
with metadata. Furthermore, it is possible to automatically import metadata from other sources. One source of
metadata is entered by the user as direct input of keywords, other sources are the visualization environment and other
software systems. Depending on the data source, data volume (number of keywords added) and descriptive accuracy
of metadata are different. User-generated metadata has the smallest data volume and description accuracy is the
highest, since functional properties and other specific characteristics are described most precisely by the designer. In
addition to a simple function description, implicit knowledge of the designer can be externalized by adding metadata
to a file. Keywords that originate from input templates have a high degree of descriptive accuracy and an average
data volume. Automatically generated keywords have the highest data volume. For example, geometric properties of
a component such as for example dimensions of the bounded box; position, orientation and diameter of holes etc. are
converted into keywords and appended to a file. Depending on the case of application, different keyword groups are
relevant. In this application case, the focus is on the reuse of CAD design drawings. The designer should be able to
access the appropriate file for his task with as little effort as possible. From this perspective, nine relevant groups of
terms (main groups) that support quick access to a file being searched, were defined (Figure 2). These nine main-
groups can be broken down into further sub-groups. Prefixes prior to keywords allow the assignment of keywords to
a main group. For example, keywords in the main group Object have the prefix #object_ the actual keyword is
append to this prefix.
There are two ways to search for files. The first method (standard method) is to enter keywords in a search field
to filter out desired files from all available files (Figure 3b). The second method (semantic search) is based on a so-
called word cloud. All keywords of the files are displayed in a word cloud. The user selects a keyword from the
word cloud and then the software searches for files which are having this keyword in their metadata. Based on the
results list of previous searches the word cloud will rebuilt, only keywords from files which are part of the results list
show up. In this way the search area is reduced and displayed suggestions become more specific with each search.
(Figure 3b). Given the relatively large amount of automatically generated metadata, prefixes can additionally
increase efficiency when searching for a file. To increase clarity, only keywords that are relevant for the user are
shown. Therefore, the user preselects which keywords are displayed by selecting desired groups. Using prefixes,
keywords can be filtered and displayed to a reduced extent.

3.3. Collaborative editing of documents

The specification sheet is a central document during quotation and assembly system development. Several
departments are working on the specification sheet concurrently, to speed up the preparation of tenders. Often, the
specification sheet is printed out and each department works on its own version, so added notes are visible only to
one department. The developed method allows simultaneous work on a document without any loss of information.
The user can highlight text passages and annotate them. Some of the information generated during assembly system
development is confidential and should only be available to specific user groups. By implementing different roles
with individual access rights, confidential information can also be written in a note. The role model is also used to
structure the annotations. Comments that are only relevant for a user group can be assigned to them. Text
annotations of a user can be commented by other users. In this way, information and experience can be exchanged.
To link notes of the specification sheet to visualization objects, each note is provided with a unique ID. This link
allows a quick access to corresponding sections of the specification sheet
112 Rainer Müller et al. / Procedia Manufacturing 28 (2019) 107–113
6 Author name / Procedia Manufacturing 00 (2019) 000–000

The method implemented in a web based software tool which allows to work on one document simultaneously.
This leads to a significant improvement in consistency of information and to a media-break-free processing of the
specification sheet across all departments.

a b

(Number of files)
Search area
0101010
1010100
Gripper.stp

…
1000110 Gripper.stp
1010001
0111110
1011001
0100100
Gripper.stp
Gripper.stp

Knowledge Information Data Data Knowledge

(easy access) (effortful access) Semantic search Standard Search Number of queries

Fig. 3. Transformation of knowledge into data and back using the example of a design Number of files in the search area using different
drawing search methods

4. Summary and Outlook

A methodology to improve communication and reuse rate of CAD design drawings during assembly system
development is introduced with this paper. Schematic visualization of the overall system allows to create a uniform
system understanding among all involved team members. Information, data and files of products, processes and
resources are summarized in one user interface. Thus different information of an object are quickly accessible.
Schematic representation of the entire system including the relationships between visualization objects creates a
graph that can be exported including it’s object attributes. Extending files with a content description by means of
keywords allows a reduction of search effort to be done to search for CAD data. As a result, the reuse rate of CAD
data can be increased and efforts for designing an assembly system can be reduced. In the further course of the
project, the graph is transformed into ontology and into a graph database. These tools enable a profound analysis of
the interconnections of the assembly system and allow automatic reasoning for specific questions.

Acknowledgements

This paper was written in the framework of the research project NeWiP, which is funded by the Federal Ministry
of Education and Research (BMBF) and supervised by the lead partner PTKA-Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
under the funding code 02P14B203.

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