Web-based cost estimation of machining rotational parts

The recent surge in global competition over manufacturing goods has led to a continued effort to reduce price, improve quality and reach the market faster. An important element of competitive performance is the ability to provide accurate and fast cost estimation. This frontier has been challenged from several directions including development of better activity-based cost methods, better parametric cost estimation methods and using the Web for faster and more accurate communication. This paper presents a system that uses the Web to link design stations and manufacturing shops in order to provide fast and accurate cost estimation. The system is a Web-enabled integrated environment that provides process-planning capabilities, machining time and cost estimation, and supplier selection. By utilizing Web technologies, the designers can submit the design to a central server that links to the various manufacturing shops and help them generate accurate cost estimation. The central server provides the designer with the best cost option, without compromising the manufacturers' sensitive cost data. The prototype system is implemented using Java 2 Enterprise Edition, JSP (Java Server Page) and Enterprise Java Beans. The paper presents the system architecture and demonstrates its functionality.