Abstract
In this paper, we present a Web-enabled product data sharing system for the support of RPD (Rapid Product Development) process by incorporating STEP (STandard for the Exchange of Product model data) with Web technology such as VRML (Virtual Reality Markup Language), SGML (Structured Generalized Markup Language) and Java. Extreme competition makes product life cycle short by incessantly deprecating current products with a brand-new one, and thus urges enterprises to devise a new product faster than ever. In this environment, an RPD process with effective product data sharing system is essential to outstrip competitors by speeding up the development process. However, the diversity of product data schema and heterogeneous systems make it difficult to exchange the product data. We chose STEP as a neutral product data schema and Web as an independent exchange environment to overcome these problems. While implementing our system, we focused on the support of STEP AP 203 UoF (Units of Functionality) views to efficiently employ STEP data models that are maximally normalized, and therefore very cumbersome to handle. Our functionality-oriented UoF view approach can increase users'appreciation since it facilitates the modular usage of STEP data models. This can also enhance the accuracy of product data. We demonstrate that our view approach is applicable to the configuration control of mechanical assemblies.
