Integration of functional and feature-based product modelling - The IMS/GNOSIS experience

This article describes collaborative research carried out in the project GNOSIS, one of the six test cases of the proposed international research programme IMS. A joint demonstration combining tools and methods from several partners was created to experiment supporting the flow of models and processes involved in the various stages of product realization including design, manufacturing preparation, and manufacturing. The article discusses the product modelling part of the joint demonstration. The process covered begins from a creative design state where a functional product description is created using the SYSFUND system of the University of Tokyo. The functional structure is passed on to the MCOES, system of the Helsinki University of Technology; in MCOES, the functional model is mapped to a physical structure for creating an assembly family. The most interesting result of the demonstration is the experience on the information flow and the gaps between these two systems. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd