Conception and implementation of a collaborative manufacturing grid

Computer supported collaborative work (CSCW) technology and grid technology are integrated to solve the resource-sharing problems in collaborative design, analysis, and manufacture. The application of grid technology in collaborative manufacturing is presented. Function requirement of collaborative manufacturing grid (CMG) is analyzed for product design, analysis, and manufacture. A concept of the CMG is put forward, and its corresponding architecture is set up based on grid middleware. Grid services in the CMG are realized based on the Globus Toolkit. A grid portal of the CMG based on the Web is developed, and advanced graphical interfaces are provided for potential users. Functions of workflow based on CMG are presented, and its management is discussed for automatic workflow creation and execution in a grid environment. A prototype system is established via a case study of the sightseeing lift. It validates the resource-sharing and cooperative work in the CMG.