An Integrated Simulation-Based Design and Manufacturing Environment Using Intranet and CORBA

Abstract

Abstract An intranet-based tool for integrating an enterprise-wide simulation-based design and manufacturing environment for mechanical systems is presented. The tool is invoked as a Java applet from a web page. Users can browse global product model data from the applet and retrieve and store product data between the global product data server (called the Design Data Server) and their local workspaces. Network connections are based on the CORBA standard. This environment enables the achievement of concurrent engineering goals. It gives the members of an enterprise-wide product development team a convenient, uniform interface to the global product data from different platforms. It allows their various simulation and modeling tools on the different platforms to interoperate through the Design Data Server.