Moving Towards the Digital Thread
NIST is coordinating a push to standardize 3D models for tightly integrated, seamless electronic exchange and processing of product and manufacturing information, from design through final part inspection.
Posted: January 10, 2015
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST; Gaithersburg, MD) researchers and their industrial partners aim to add a new dimension to manufacturing capabilities. In a new project, they will demonstrate the feasibility, and benchmark the advantages, of using standardized, three-dimensional (3D) models for electronically exchanging and processing product and manufacturing information all the way from design through inspection of the final part, a tightly integrated, seamless string of activities that manufacturers are calling a “digital thread.”
Compared with the prevailing practice of converting two-dimensional (2D) computer-aided design (CAD) drawings into static documents, 3D models embedded with data and instructions that computers can parse and process are expected to open the way to significant operational and bottom-line benefits. These include reduced cycle time and cost, less duplication of effort, lower risk of errors, increased part yields and higher-quality products.
Collaborators in the NIST-led project include interoperability-focused manufacturing-services providers International TechneGroup Incorporated (ITI; Milford, OH), and Advanced Collaboration Consulting Resources (Summerville, SC); Rockwell Collins, an Iowa-based manufacturer of avionics and communication equipment for defense and commercial uses; and Geater Machining and Manufacturing (Independence, IA), an aerospace supplier.
Other participants are CNC Software (Tolland, CT), a maker of computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) software; Mitutoyo America Corporation (Aurora, IL), a maker of measurement equipment and software; and software vendor CoreTechnologie (Rossford, OH).
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