Model-driven Process Planning and Quality Assurance

Abstract

Systematic process planning is a key enabler for robust product realization from design through manufacturing. Every process and operation must be designed in the best possible way to ensure that the overall process chain leads to the right product quality. During the last two decades a shift from inspection of manufactured products to a more holistic approach with quality assurance as an integrated activity throughout the product realization process has emerged in manufacturing industry. The importance of the principles addressed in the methods and tools used in automotive industry for quality management is indisputable. However, the tasks of creating and managing documents for Process Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (PFMEA), Control plans, Initial process studies and Measurement System Analysis (MSA) results in high workload. Also, lack of interoperability between different computer applications used in process planning and quality assurance results in information fragmentation, data duplication and potential data inconsistency. This paper proposes a novel, model driven approach for process planning integrating quality assurance which emphasizes the application of digital models to create, represent and use information of products, processes and resources. By reducing the amount of data and document duplication, the presented model driven approach has potential to radically increase the direct value adding part of manufacturing engineer's daily work also contributing to achieve a more holistic view in interdisciplinary work between different experts in product realization.