An implementation of modelling resource in a manufacturing grid for resource sharing

Abstract

Grid technology is a new sustentation for the sharing of global manufacturing resources. To promote the application of grid technologies in the manufacturing industry, a framework for a manufacturing grid (MG) has been expatiated. The framework is composed of a network infrastructure layer, a manufacturing resource aggregation layer, a manufacturing resource management layer, a manufacturing service application layer and a MG portal layer. Modelling manufacturing resources, one key technology of implementing the MG application system, has been studied intensively. A manufacturing resource hierarchy model (MRHM), which consists of a manufacturing resource layer, a resource expressing layer and a resource interface layer, is proposed. In the model, various manufacturing resources are aggregated into a resource layer; all resource information is encapsulated in an information expressing layer employing XML (extensible markup language) schema; all accessing operations to resources are defined in the resource interface layer using WSDL (web service description language). Lastly, being the validation of MRHM, a standard part library system based on Unigraphics18.0 and SQL Server2000 is encapsulated as a resource node in the MG. The node provides online services like querying information for standard parts, viewing and downloading geometry models of standard parts, and so on.

Keywords:

• Manufacturing grid framework
• Manufacturing resource hierarchy model
• Web service
• Resource node
• Standard part library system

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the valuable comments and remarks of the anonymous referee. They also gratefully acknowledge the crucial work of guest editors Professor Yushun Fan and Dr George Huang. They acknowledge the support of the High-Tech Research and Development Program of China for Contemporary Integrated Manufacturing System under career grant 2003AA414320, the Key Laboratory of FMS Technology, the Department of Defense under career grant 51458070204HK0328, and the Foundation of NWPU Young Innovation.