NIST Special Publication 939 The Grand Experie ^^^^^ ^^^^^^^^ DATE DUE Edited by wT^^F^ I Sharon J. Kemmerer Manufacturins Ensineerins Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technolc Gaithersburs, MD 20899-0001 July 1999 UNIVERSITY PRODUCTS, INC. #859-5503 U.S. Department of Commerce William M. Daley Technolosy Administration for Technolosy Gary R. Bachula, Under Secretary National Institute of Standards and Technolosy Raymond G. Kammer, Director National Institute of Standards U.S. Government Printins Office For sale by the Superintendent and Technolosy Wash inston: 1999 of Documents Special Publication 939 U.S. Government Printing Office Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Washington, DC 20402 Spec. Publ. 939 187 pages (July 1999) CODEN: NSPUE2 DEDICATION Because this Product Data Exchange effort has already crossed into its third decade, the United States standardization participants have feU the unfortunate loss of their colleagues. Many of these individuals were still active contributors to the national and international efforts when they died. This dedication serves as a small token of our appreciation for their professional contributions to the national and international product data exchange standardization efforts, and for their personal contributions in touching our lives. Robert Colsher (IGES) William Conroy (IPO Chair, NIPDE General Manager, US TAG Chair) Bert Gibbons (Electrical/Electronics) Dick Justice (US TAG Chair) Bryan Martin (Validation) Richard Winfrey (Presentation) Timothy Wise Liaison for TC172/SC1 and TC184/SC4AVG3/T9 ill 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION iii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION - 1 . 1 Background 1 1 .2 Document Approach 2 1.3 Document Content - 3 1 .4 Audience — - 5 1 .5 Disclaimer for this Document 5 CHAPTER 2 IN THE BEGINNING... THERE WAS PRODUCT DATA EXCHANGE 7 2.1 Evolution of Product Information Sharing ~ 7 2.2 Early Contributing Efforts 9 2.3 Other International Players - 14 2.4 The PDES Initiation Effort 15 2.5 How did Electrical Content Find its Way into STEP? 16 2.6 Legacy to STEP 19 2.7 Conclusion 20 CHAPTER 3 STEP DEVELOPMENT -- CYCLES OF CONSENSUS 23 3.1 Introduction 23 3.2 The Beginning of STEP 23 3.3 The PDES Initiation Effort 25 3.4 The Integrated Product Information Model (IPIM) 28 3.5 Context Driven Integrated Models (CDIMs) 31 3.6 The Integration Models of the PDES Integration Task Group - 3 3.7 ISO Recognizes the Concept of Application Protocols (APs) 33 3.8 So Can We Build a STEP Planning Model? 34 3.9 The Generic Product Data Model (GPDM) - 35 3.10 The Comical, The Technical, and The Inspired 37 3.1 1 Count Down to Blast Off... the Initial Release of ISO 10303 41 3.12 No Time to Rest After Intial Release 43 3.13 Conclusion 45 CHAPTER 4 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF STEP 47 - 4. 1 Challenges for STEP 47 4.2 Components of ISO 10303 48 4.3 STEP Methodology 54 4.4 Architectural Issues Facing STEP 57 4.5 Conclusion - 58 CHAPTER 5 MODELING - A WAY TO PRESENT PRODUCT DATA REQUIREMENTS 61 5.1 The Role of an Information Model for Data Sharing 61 5.2 Robust Modeling is Crucial to STEP 61 5.3 Modeling Alternatives 61 5.4 Modeling Information ~ What's Needed 65 5.5 Why did EXPRESS Come into Existence? 65 5.6 Modeling and STEP 66 5.7 Contributions of STEP to Modeling 66 5.8 In Practice - - 67 5.9 EXPRESS - A Computer-Interpretable Language 68 5.10 EXPRESS and Validation 69 V 3 5.11 What Can be Generated? 72 5.12 Minor Annoyances 73 5.13 Conclusion-- 73 CHAPTER 6 SHARING VERSUS EXCHANGING DATA 75 6.1 Introduction 75 6.2 Data Exchange in the Context of STEP 75 6.3 Data Sharing in the Context of STEP 76 6.4 Sharing Data & Exchanging Data Compared 77 6.5 STEP Implementation Levels 77 6.6 SDAI Evolution — 78 6.7 SDAI -Intended Purpose 79 6.8 SDAI and its Family of Standards 80 6.9 SDAl's Compatibility with EXPRESS -— 80 6.10 SDAI Support for Application Protocols — 82 6.1 1 Contrasting ISO 10303-21 with ISO 10303-22 82 6.12 Implementation Classes in ISO 10303-22 82 6.13 Testing for SDAI 83 6.14 Conclusion 83 CHAPTER 7 THE USER PERSPECTIVE 85 7.1 Background on Application Protocols 85 7.2 Purpose and Principles of Application Protocols 85 7.3 Components of an Application Protocol 86 7.4 Developing an Application Protocol 91 7.5 Planning and Managing AP Projects 93 7.6 Conclusion 94 CHAPTER 8 CONFORMANCE AND INTEROPERABILITY TESTING 97 8.1 Introduction 97 8.2 Testing 98 8.3 Conformance Testing Versus Interoperability Testing 99 8.4 Developing Conformance Testing Methodologies for ISO 10303 101 8.5 STEP Conformance Requirements 103 8.6 Conformance Testing STEP Implementations 103 8.7 Interoperabilty Testing of ISO 10303 Implementations 104 8.8 Formal Certification of Products 109 8.9 Testing Benefits and Costs 1 10 8.10 Conclusion - Ill CHAPTER 9 MANAGING THE PROCESS TO ACHIEVE THE PRODUCT ~ STANDARDS 113 9. 1 Our Means to an End ~ Organizing and Operating SC4 1 1 9.2 Exploitation of Information Technology 121 9.3 Leveraging Human Resources 126 9.4 Conclusion — 127 CHAPTER 10 THE FUTURE OF STEP 129 10.1 STEP Development 129 10.2 Data Sharing 132 10.3 EXPRESS — 133 10.4 Upward Compatibility 134 10.5 Interoperability 134 10.6 Change Management 135 10.7 Archival Requirements Impacting Step 136 vi 10.8 Engineering Analysis 137 10.9 Design Intent and Parametrics 138 10.10 Standard Parts 139 10.11 Electronics 139 10.12 Supply Chain 141 10.13 Product Data Management 1 42 10.14 Rapid Prototyping 1 43 10.15 STEP Product Support 1 44 10.16 Interfacing With Other Groups and Standards r 145 10.17 Conclusion 149 CHAPTER 11 EPILOGUE 151 APPENDICES APPENDIX A ACRONYMS 155 APPENDIX B GLOSSARY OF TERMS 159 APPENDIX C REFERENCES 165 APPENDIX D ABOUT THE AUTHORS... 171 BIBLIOGRAPHY 177 vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND This document is the result of a comprehensive effort by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to document the development of STEP~Standard for the Exchange of Product model data. More than two dozen individuals inside and outside of NIST actively contributed to this document. Dr. Richard Jackson, Director of the Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory, initiated this effort, making the following remarks as an introduction to the task: "I think it's time for us to take stock of what has transpired with STEP. After more than a decade of technical and standards committee work in product data exchange, it is time for us to produce a definitive work on this topic. This work should include clear, concise, illuminating discussions of the technical issues, the solutions and the standards..." [10/1996] Although the text will focus on the role of NIST in the STEP effort, it will also describe the role and efforts of the many types of partners that have worked with NIST to make STEP happen. In addition, this document will examine a possible path for NIST to take in determining its future involvement with STEP or other similar standards. NIST's effort in product data exchange standardization has helped to expand its role in physical measurements and calibrations into the arena of Validation, conformance, and interoperability testing. Developing information technology (IT) tools that support the implementation of IT standards. Disseminating information about the standards. Developing a programmatic thrust in information technology metrology for manufacturing. A fiirther objective of this document is to inform the reader about the importance of standards in facilitating the ability of companies to manufacture and use their products. As the world moves into the twenty-first century, new manufacturing technologies are needed to improve productivity and competitiveness. In this information and computer age, companies exchange and share information across the country and the world. This capability is needed to manufacture complex products, such as automobiles, airplanes, ships, and buildings, which are produced today. To meet production deadlines, computer-aided design and manufacturing tools are used to move products from concept, through design, prototype, manufacture, testing, and support that is required by the customer. This information exchange process must be accelerated if it is to be useful. Today, existing products and technologies are often replaced before their useful life has expired. This is driven, in part, by the competitive nature of the manufacturing marketplace. In this age of agile manufacturing, concurrent engineering, and teaming, the ability to share product data information quickly and efficiently among a variety of different computing environments is critical to any collaborative effort. Such collaboration needs to take into account efforts either within a company or across different companies cooperating in normal business and commerce. The representation of product data in digital form is a technology that is basic to both a company's internal plans for integration and its external relationships with the world. Product data exchange is the essential component to implement the standards and technologies required to make the collaboration applicable for manufacturing. NIST has taken a lead position in developing STEP because of its historical mission to promote U.S. economic growth. NIST has done its best by working with industry to develop and apply technology, measurements, and standards. Specifically in the last few years, the NIST laboratories have increased their efforts to address the 1 ' infrastructural needs of the information technology and manufacturing industries. STEP is an ideal example of a set of standards that integrates both industries. NIST recognizes that developing standards such as STEP must be accomplished in the international arena because of the ever-increasing worldwide economic dependencies.