An Open Product Lifecycle Management System

This thesis presents a complete set of user requirements and high-level architecture for [a] product lifecycle management (PLM) system for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Engineering activities such as engineering change management (ECM) and product data management (PDM) are emphasized. The system is designed to be developed in [an] open source environment. Therefore the system is called Open Product Lifecycle Management (OPLM) system. The thesis begins with a presentation of the motivation for the work and description of products and literature in the areas of PLM, SME and open source. An industry survey is conducted to elicit requirements of OPLM. Engineering change management (ECM) process is described and a modified framework for ECM in OPLM is presented. The proposed model is expected to make ECM faster, reusable and accurate. Four OPLM subsystems, namely, product data management, engineering change management, process management and business intelligence are defined. For each of the subsystems, subsystem components are identified and defined.

An Open Product Lifecycle Management System

This thesis presents a complete set of user requirements and high-level architecture for [a] product lifecycle management (PLM) system for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Engineering activities such as engineering change management (ECM) and product data management (PDM) are emphasized. The system is designed to be developed in [an] open source environment. Therefore the system is called Open Product Lifecycle Management (OPLM) system. The thesis begins with a presentation of the motivation for the work and description of products and literature in the areas of PLM, SME and open source. An industry survey is conducted to elicit requirements of OPLM. Engineering change management (ECM) process is described and a modified framework for ECM in OPLM is presented. The proposed model is expected to make ECM faster, reusable and accurate. Four OPLM subsystems, namely, product data management, engineering change management, process management and business intelligence are defined. For each of the subsystems, subsystem components are identified and defined.

Design and Integration of JMF-Based Multimedia-Supported Environment in a Product Data Management System

In order to meet discipline experts' requirements of knowledge exchange, conflict resolution, and design decision in the collaborative product design process, a JMF-based multimedia-supported environment (MSE) is proposed. The requirement to develop the MSE for multi-disciplinary collaborative design process is analyzed. Related key technologies of multimedia applications required to build the integrated MSE are described. Construction of multimedia interaction mode, design of system architecture, and formulation of development plan are implemented. Discipline experts' roles are defined, and safety certification function of application programs is achieved. Based on the development platform of Java 2 enterprise edition (J2EE), the realization of the system is completed, and the system is integrated into a previously developed product data management system. Through system experiment and test, the JMF-based system environment can well meet the needs of multimedia real-time interaction, knowledge sharing, and collaborative decision making in the process of collaborative product design.