Information
Technology
for
Manufacturing
A Research Agenda
National Academy Press
Washington, D.C. 1995
Page ii
NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
Support for this project was provided by the national Science Foundation (under Grant No.MIP-93/2296). Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 94-67789
International Standard Book Number 0-309-05179-7
Cover: The manufacturing "wheel" shown is intended to suggest the integration through information technology of manufacturing activities both among and across the four basic elements of an idealized process. The concept is discussed in Chapter 2 of this report.
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Committee To Study Information
Technology And Manufacturing
PETER WILL, USC/Information Sciences Institute, Chair
BARBARA M. FOSSUM, University of Texas
DENNIS M. HOGAN, Dennis M. Hogan Associates
NEAL LAURANCE, Ford Motor Company
KEN J. LINDSAY, Northrop Aircraft Division
EUGENE S. MEIERAN, Intel Corporation
RAJ REDDY, Carnegie Mellon University
WYCKHAM D. SEELIG, AT&T Network Systems
GILBERT S. STAFFEND, Allied Signal Automotive
IVAN E. SUTHERLAND, Sun Microsystems Laboratories (through February 1994)
LOUISE H. TREVILLYAN, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
DANIEL E. WHITNEY, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
EUGENE WONG, University of California at Berkeley
PAUL K. WRIGHT, University of California at Berkeley
RICHARD A. WYSK, Texas A&M University
ROBERT E. KAHN, Corporation for National Research Initiatives, Special Advisor
Staff
MARJORY S. BLUMENTHAL, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board
THOMAS C. MAHONEY, Manufacturing Studies Board (through September 1994)
MICHAEL A. McDERMOTT, Manufacturing Studies Board (through February 1994)
GREG MEDALIE, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (through April 1994)
HERBERT S. LIN, Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (from April 1994)
LESLIE M. WADE, Project Assistant
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Computer Science And Telecommunications Board
WILLIAM WULF, University of Virginia, Chair
FRANCES ALLEN, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
JEFF DOZIER, University of California at Santa Barbara
DAVID J. FARBER, University of Pennsylvania
HENRY FUCHS, University of North Carolina
CHARLES M. GESCHKE, Adobe Systems Inc.
JAMES GRAY, San Francisco, California
BARBARA J. GROSZ, Harvard University
DEBORAH A. JOSEPH, University of Wisconsin
RICHARD M. KARP, University of California at Berkeley
BUTLER W. LAMPSON, Digital Equipment Corporation
BARBARA H. LISKOV, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JOHN MAJOR, Motorola Inc.
ROBERT L. MARTIN, AT&T Network Systems
DAVID G. MESSERSCHMITT, University of California at Berkeley
WILLIAM H. PRESS, Harvard University
CHARLES L. SEITZ, Myricom Inc.
EDWARD SHORTLIFFE, Stanford University School of Medicine
CASMIR S. SKRZYPCZAK, NYNEX Corporation
LESLIE L. VADASZ, Intel Corporation
MARJORY S. BLUMENTHAL, Director
LOUISE A. ARNHEIM, Senior Staff Officer
HERBERT S. LIN, Senior Staff Officer
JAMES E. MALLORY, Staff Officer
RENEE A. HAWKINS, Staff Associate
GLORIA P. BEMAH, Administrative Assistant
LESLIE M. WADE, Project Assistant
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Manufacturing Studies Board
CHARLES P. FLETCHER, Aluminum Company of America, Chair
SARA L. BECKMAN, University of California at Berkeley
LESLIE A. BENMARK, E.I. Du Pont de Nemours & Co. Inc.
STEVEN J. BOMBA, Johnson Controls Inc.
BRIAN E. BOYER, Northrop Aircraft Division
GARY L. COWGER, General Motors Corporation
HAROLD E. EDMONDSON, Hewlett-Packard (retired)
THOMAS G. GUNN, Gunn Associates Inc.
ALISTAIR M. HANNA, McKinsey & Co. Inc.
GEORGE J. HESS, The Ingersoll Milling Machine Co.
CHARLES W. HOOVER, JR., Polytechnic University
STEPHEN C. JACOBSEN, University of Utah
RAMCHANDRAN JAIKUMAR, Harvard University
J.B. JONES, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
DONALD KENNEDY, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
THOMAS L. MAGNANTI, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
JOE M. MIZE, Oklahoma State University
JACOB T. SCHWARTZ, New York University
HERBERT B. VOELCKER, Cornell University
PAUL K. WRIGHT, University of California at Berkeley
ROBERT SCHAFRIK, Acting Director
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Commission On Physical Sciences,
Mathematics, And Applications
RICHARD N. ZARE, Stanford University, Chair
RICHARD S. NICHOLSON, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Vice Chair
STEPHEN L. ADLER, The Institute for Advanced Study
SYLVIA T. CEYER, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
SUSAN L. GRAHAM, University of California at Berkeley
ROBERT J. HERMANN, United Technologies Corporation
RHONDA J. HUGHES, Bryn Mawr College
SHIRLEY A. JACKSON, Rutgers University
KENNETH I. KELLERMANN, National Radio Astronomy Observatory
HANS MARK, University of Texas at Austin
THOMAS A. PRINCE, California Institute of Technology
JEROME SACKS, National Institute of Statistical Sciences
L.E. SCRIVEN, University of Minnesota
A. RICHARD SEEBASS III, University of Colorado
LEON T. SILVER, California Institute of Technology
CHARLES P. SLICHTER, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
ALVIN W. TRIVELPIECE, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
SHMUEL WINOGRAD, IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
CHARLES A. ZRAKET, The MITRE Corporation (retired)
NORMAN METZGER, Executive Director
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Commission On Engineering And Technical Systems
ALBERT R.C. WESTWOOD, Sandia National Laboratories, Chair
H. KENT BOWEN, Harvard University
NAOMI F. COLLINS, NAFSA: Association of International Educators
NANCY R. CONNERY, Consultant
RICHARD A. CONWAY, Union Carbide Corporation
SAMUEL C. FLORMAN, Kreisler Borg Florman Construction Company
TREVOR O. JONES, Libbey-Owens-Ford Company
NANCY G. LEVESON, University of Washington
ALTON D. SLAY, Slay Enterprises Inc.
JAMES J. SOLBERG, Purdue University
BARRY M. TROST, Stanford University
GEORGE L. TURIN, Teknekron Corporation
WILLIAM C. WEBSTER, University of California at Berkeley
DEBORAH A. WHITEHURST, Arizona Community Foundation
ROBERT V. WHITMAN, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
CHARLES E. WILLIAMS, Toll Road Investors Partnership II
ARCHIE L. WOOD, Executive Director
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The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Robert M. White is president of the National Academy of Engineering.
The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Kenneth I. Shine is president of the Institute of Medicine.
The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy's purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce Alberts and Dr. Robert M. White are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.
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Preface
At the request of the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council's Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) and Manufacturing Studies Board (MSB) formed the Committee to Study Information Technology and Manufacturing in April 1993. The committee of 16 individuals from academia and industry was charged with determining the computer science and engineering research needed to support advanced manufacturing.
In preparing this report, the committee reviewed and synthesized relevant material from recent reports and initiatives, interviewed a number of researchers and practitioners in the field, and met five times to discuss the input from these sources as well as the independent observations and findings of the committee members themselves. (Contributors to this report are listed in Appendix A.) It shared its preliminary thinking with a broad community in an interim report.1 Reviewers of that document noted a number of issues as deserving of further study that are addressed in this final report. The committee included experts from the information technology (IT) and the manufacturing domains, individuals involved in research and development as well as implementation, and individuals experienced in the manufacture of mechanical and electronic products.2 In short,
1 Computer Science and Telecommunications Board and Manufacturing Board, National Research Council. 1993. Information Technology and Manufacturing: A Preliminary Report on Research Needs. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
2 In the interests of keeping this project manageable, the committee concentrated on discrete manufacturing. In did not address continuous manufacturing (the production of substances and materials) to any significant degree.
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the committee was by design highly heterogeneous, a characteristic intended to promote discussion and synergy among its members.
The committee focused on articulating a vision of IT-enabled manufacturing in the 21st century, identifying the obstacles to achieving the vision, and identifying research topics that address the obstacles. Its deliberations centered on the three thrusts outlined by the former Federal Coordinating Council for Science, Engineering, and Technology in its Advanced Manufacturing Technology initiative:
• | ''Intelligent" manufacturing equipment and systems; |
• | Integrated tools for product, process, and enterprise design; and |
• | Advanced manufacturing technology infrastructure. |
Since these thrusts were outlined, the present administration has emphasized to a much greater degree the importance of a national information infrastructure that would support many activities of national importance, including manufacturing. That issue was considered by the committee as well.
The range and combination of research topics recommended by the committee are an essential feature of this report. Some of the topics chosen by the committee have been proposed by others in prior reports; the need for work in some areas is enduring. Some topics fall into areas of long-standing need but are advanced with new emphases. Because of limited time, the committee was unable to assess in depth the topics it identified. Moreover, it did not specifically address areas other than information technology that might prove beneficial to manufacturing; such areas include new physical processes that might be developed to shape and fabricate discrete components. In preparing this final report, the committee drew heavily on the preliminary report it issued in late 1993. Its efforts in subsequent meetings served to develop more fully, validate, and complement the ideas presented in that earlier report. A site visit to an engine plant in March 1994 (described in Appendix B) provided a firsthand demonstration of the productive use of current information technology in manufacturing. In addition, a National Science Foundation workshop in May 19943 (attended by some committee members) helped to crystallize some of the ideas presented in the material on the design process.
The CSTB and MSB are grateful to the National Science Foundation, to those who made presentations and/or submitted written material to the committee, and to those who reviewed this report and its predecessor. CSTB will be glad to receive comments on this report. Please send them via Internet e-mail to CSTB@NAS.EDU, or via regular mail to CSTB, National Research Council, 2101 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20418. The committee, of course, remains responsible for the report's content.
3 See Mukherjee, Amar, and Jack Hilibrand (eds.). 1994. New Paradigms for Manufacturing. NSF 94-123. National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C.
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Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY | |
1 VISION AND RECOMMENDED AREAS OF RESEARCH | |
Introduction | |
Information Technology and the Increasing Complexity of Manufacturing | |
Purpose, Scope, and Content of This Report | |
Flexibility for the Future | |
Recognizing Information Technology's Increasing Capability in a Changing World | |
Balancing Current Needs and the Development of Future Capabilities | |
Looking Ahead | |
The Potential Impact of Information Technology on the Manufacturing Enterprise | |
The Broad Vision | |
Nearer-Term Prospects for Improvement | |
Product and Process Design | |
Shop Floor Production | |
Business Practices | |
New Manufacturing Styles | |
The Virtual Factory | |
The Programmable or Reconfigurable Factory | |
The Networked Factory | |
Microfactories |
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Getting From Here to ThereThe Need for Balance and a Considered Approach | |
The Research Agenda | |
Technology Research | |
Product and Process Design | |
Shop Floor Control | |
Modeling and Simulation | |
Enterprise Integration and Business Practices | |
Non-Technology Issues | |
2 MANUFACTURING: CONTEXT, CONTENT, AND HISTORY | |
The Economics of Manufacturing | |
The Nature of Manufacturing | |
The Historical Context of Manufacturing | |
Early Paradigm Changes | |
Recent Changes and Their Effects | |
3 INTEGRATED PRODUCT AND PROCESS DESIGN | |
Introduction | |
Design Paradigms | |
Electronic Design | |
Application to Mechanical Design | |
Needs and Research for Mechanical Design | |
Research for Product Description | |
Research for Process Description | |
Research for Tools to Support Integrated Product and Process Design | |
Research Areas Not Specific to Manufacturing | |
Geometric Reasoning | |
Knowledge and Information Management | |
Specific Research Questions | |
4 SHOP FLOOR PRODUCTION | |
Introduction | |
Scheduling Factory Activities | |
Centralized Control | |
Decentralized Control | |
Autonomous Agents | |
Work and Logistics Flow | |
Controlling Individual Factory Activities | |
Equipment Controllers | |
Sensors |
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Facilitating Continuous Improvement | |
Controlling and Managing Product Configuration | |
Specific Research Questions | |
5 MODELING AND SIMULATION FOR THE VIRTUAL FACTORY | |
Introduction | |
Considerations in the Development of Virtual Factories | |
Learning from Past Problems | |
Determining the Requirements for Effective Factory Models | |
Modeling Technology | |
Representing and Capturing Manufacturing Expertise | |
Research Areas Not Specific to Manufacturing | |
6 INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES | |
Introduction | |
Architectures and Standards | |
Integration | |
Redesign of Business Practices | |
Intra-enterprise Integration | |
Inter-enterprise Integration | |
Non-manufacturing-specific Research | |
Information Retrieval Systems | |
Software Engineering | |
Dependable Computing Systems | |
Collaboration Technology and Computer-supported Cooperative Work | |
7 ORGANIZATIONAL AND SOCIETAL INFRASTRUCTURE | |
Targeting the Decision Maker | |
Motivating Technology Transfer and Academic-Industrial Interaction | |
Motivating Introduction and Implementation of Information Technology | |
Understanding Organizational Issues | |
Human Resources | |
Communications | |
Organization for Ad Hoc Tasks | |
Informal Hierarchies of Status | |
Overcoming History and Managing Risk | |
Providing for Technology Demonstrations | |
Stimulating the Adoption of Open Standards |
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Developing Better Metrics of Performance | |
Developing New Models for Accounting and Valuation | |
Emphasizing Education, Training, and Retraining | |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | |
APPENDIXES | |
A List of Contributors | |
B Site Visit to Romeo Engine Plant, March 23, 1994 | |
C Illustrative Advanced Long-range Technology Demonstrations |
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