Assembly feature data instance modeling: Prototype implementation and outputs

This paper introduces the assembly feature data schema instance modeling to pre-examine the schema functionality and output-as the preliminary step for data modeling. In order to link assembly with product design, it is essential to determine which entities of product design are involved at the automated assembly planning and operations. It is possible to assign meaningful attributes (assembly features) to the part model entities in a systematic and structured way. Using object-oriented design, the assembly feature data structure and its relationships are modeled. As a part of the research on product and assembly system data integration within the evolvable production system platform, the instance models for proposed assembly feature data structure provide a deeper understanding and error reduction that might possibly occur at the development of the database. Moreover through instance modeling, the assembly feature data query output format from the database prototype is simulated. An industrial assembly model example with its 3DPart models is chosen to demonstrate the realized assembly feature data set with string data type. The models support the desired simplicity at the database prototype implementation. The output format envisions the interoperability factor between product models and the assembly planning systems.