Downstream Computer-Aided Design, Engineering, and Manufacturing Integration Using Exchangeable Persistent Identifiers in Neutral Re-imported Computer-Aided Design Models

Computer-aided design, engineering, and manufacturing (CAx) have improved product design and development. The associativity of revised design in native files for downstream applications, assembly design, finite element analysis, and numerical control (NC) manufacturing has been supported by homogeneous CAx systems. However, heterogeneous CAx environments have issues when neutral models are revised and re-imported because the required identification information is missing. This results in a problem of the associativity of neutral models. In this study, different computer-aided design (CAD) applications have been analyzed with respect to their capabilities for import and export of neutral models with identification information. A tool has been selected to demonstrate the key findings. Moreover, future directions have been discussed to solve associativity issues in design re-import based on neutral models.

Automated summary

This study analyzed different CAD applications in terms of their abilities to import and export neutral models with identification information. It was found that heterogeneous CAx environments have issues with missing identification information when neutral models are re-imported, leading to associativity problems.