Information exchange is a fundamental process for manufacturing enterprises, especially when the product data needs to be exchanged between different domains, areas, or external suppliers during the product lifecycle. Lack of standardized information management processes, undefined information requirements from both parties, and incompatible formats to exchange information lead to delays in product development and therefore, economic losses. An alternative that has demonstrated benefits when carrying product manufacturing information is the Model-based definition (MBD) approach. A preparatory step to structure an MBD application for a specific domain is to define its data content, which can be built upon a categorization of product requirements for the target domain. The presented study proposes a method that starts by studying the interactions between involved stakeholders and the related information exchanged at each stage of the development of a component, and results in a categorization of requirements to support assembly planning, enhancing product realization. Enhanced product realization can lead to shorter development time, better supplier compliance to the requirements, and fewer errors in the physical interfaces. Future work is to use the categorized requirements as a base to build an MBD structure for exchanging assembly-related information.

Product development requires sharing information of a diverse nature between several actors. Since the new products resulting from this process often require assembly as part of their manufacturing processes, it becomes necessary to promote a functional information representation for the assembly domain. Several authors have proposed different core concepts to represent the information related to assembly. However, the resulting body of knowledge is fragmented and lacks a unified concept and definition of the information this concept should contain to be broadly adopted by the academy and industry. This study aims to identify and characterize the core concepts used to enclose the assembly information (e.g., assembly features, ports, connectors, and others) by conducting a literature review in the domain of discrete manufacturing, considering the period between 1985 and 2022. It was found that the literature is rich in concepts but often diverging: a clear depiction of the assembly information required by the involved stakeholders during the whole product development process remains elusive. This work's contribution addresses this gap by identifying the perspectives from which the assembly information can be studied, and the information required to describe the assembly process fully. The resulting information requirements were used to assess the existing approaches addressing assembly information representation. These findings can be used as a base to establish a comprehensive assembly information representation in the future.

Product development is a collaboration-intensive process resulting in a novel or enhanced product that satisfies the customers' needs. To meet those needs, functional requirements are defined, which ultimately determine the product's physical characteristics and manufacturing. However, the functional and other non-geometrical information becomes less noticeable as the process advances, since the primary representation of the product design in the latter stages of the product development is often a purely geometrical model, causing information fragmentation. This fragmentation hinders the collaboration between different stakeholders while neglecting valuable product information that could facilitate its manufacturing. Research to date has not yet provided a suitable way to link the geometrical model of a product with its non-geometrical information. Focused on the assembly domain, this work proposes a way to integrate functional information into the product's geometrical model by using assembly features, which could be employed in the latter stages to extract process constraints and additional product details relevant to assembly process planning, as shown in the developed case study. This paper provides new insights into the value of the assembly feature as a functional information carrier and a tool for improving the collaboration between different stakeholders during the product development process.

Mass customization demands a wide range of product variants being provided by the manufacturer in a short time. To respond to that, companies embrace approaches such as product platforms and modularization. This impacts the product development process (PDP), especially at the design stage. A major concern is the definition of component and system interfaces since these become essential inputs for later stages. Yet, a suitable method to describe the interfaces, represent them, and share them within a product model is still elusive. Since the information enclosed in the interface is multi-faceted, ranging from geometry to function or kinematics, it can be adjusted or enriched in every stage of product development. Then, it is crucial to understand how this information can support product preparation and planning, as well as how it can be reused in product design or redesign. Thus, this work aims to assess the extent to which these factors were considered in the assembly domain. The study started by presenting current practices on representing the interfaces in the product design and continued by exploring how the information on the interfaces can be used for assembly planning. Subsequently, it proposed a way to represent the knowledge enclosed in the interface and concluded by explaining how this knowledge can be exploited by different stakeholders to improve the process planning and the overall assembly system. A case study shows the application of the proposed approach. Overall, the results showed the benefits of a better representation of interfaces in product design, specifically for the assembly domain, aiming to contribute to defining a strategy for knowledge reuse in manufacturing.

The early stages of product design are critical for incorporating manufacturing perspectives. Recognizing the significance of assembly indiscrete product manufacturing, the study emphasizes the need to consider the intricacies of assembly early in the design stages. While existing research has addressed assembly features, especially for insertion, this study focuses on handling features, seeking to bridge the gap in their comprehensive representation within the product model. Based on a relational analysis, product characteristics relevant for handling were identified and represented by using a modeling strategy that facilitates their timely addition to the product model. A case study was developed to demonstrate its application. The main contributions of this work comprise an extensive list of product characteristics related to handling processes, a proposal for integrating these characteristics into the product model, and a collaborative way to define product features during product design. Future research directions point to the establishment of a model-based definition for assembly processes, paving the way for enhanced cross-disciplinary communication in the fields of product design and assembly planning.

Collaborative manufacturing environments demand high information utilization and exchange. Information has become a relevant company asset, including the one derived during product design; however, capturing and sharing this information is still challenging, especially in the early design stages. While previous studies have examined information representation, there has been limited involvement in specific domains, such as automatic assembly and its subprocesses, despite the long-standing demand. Integrating information related to handling processes (fixturing, feeding, and grasping) to the product design is lacking, translating into numerous design iterations to comply with production needs overlooked by the product designer and delaying the design of corresponding tooling. This study set out to define the requirements and assess the feasibility of implementing a system that captures feeding, fixturing, and grasping information. A proof of concept was developed based on these findings by exploiting the information representation and presentation capabilities of the ISO 10303 standard. Unlike existing approaches tested in other domains, this proposal used a structured model to represent information appropriately based on its corresponding data type. This model then visually conveyed the information to the user, facilitating its accessibility and promoting its utilization. Besides demonstrating the benefit of using a neutral format to carry product manufacturing information from early design stages, the authors advocate for the adoption of 3D product representations and their further exploitation to facilitate subsequent design activities.

Configure-to-Order (CTO) assembly systems, which enable rapid deployment and reconfiguration, are essential for meeting the growing demand for product customization through Plug & Produce strategies. However, achieving swift and cost-effective reconfiguration remains a significant challenge in manufacturing. While general-purpose machines offer considerable flexibility, the design, production, and installation of product-specific tools, such as fixtures, frequently create bottlenecks in the reconfiguration process. Despite advancements in Computer-Aided Fixture Design (CAFD) software tools, substantial human effort is still required to access, organize, and process necessary information before initiating the design process. Model-Based Definition (MBD) presents a promising solution by ensuring continuity across the digital thread, improving data organization, and enhancing CAFD integration. However, the lack of a standardized MBD dataset and a comprehensive framework for CAFD hinders its full potential. This study addressed this gap by promoting the widespread adoption of MBD. Initially, a literature review established the semantic content of the MBD dataset. The neutral STEP Application Protocol (AP) 242 was then employed to enhance the representation of complex data, ensuring interoperability. A proof-of-concept CAFD tool, developed in Python, demonstrated this interoperability by integrating established CAFD methodologies with commercial software to automate non-value-added tasks, such as the configuration of Computer-Aided Design (CAx) systems. This innovation streamlines documentation processes and paves the way for greater process automation. Future work could build upon these findings by incorporating industry-specific datasets, fully structuring an exhaustive MBD dataset within STEP AP242, or leveraging enriched 3D models to further advance CAFD digital thread workflow.

Multidisciplinary collaboration is key to product development; however, integrating multiple perspectives and design intent within the outcome of this process remains challenging. Although 3D product models are widely employed, they still lack relevant production details. A previous work established a coherent framework for enriching CAD files with assembly process information. This work offers the industrial perception and alignment of such a system through a preliminary impact assessment survey. Insights from experts and practitioners confirmed the solution's suitability to address these gaps, revealing organizational connotations and offering recommendations for improvement. These findings provide a user-centred perspective to guide the future implementation of the approach into established product development processes.