Manufacturing strategy analysis and system design-the complete cycle within a computer-aided design environment

Discusses the conceptual structure and implementation of an integrated, computer-aided manufacturing system design environment, known as I/O-CAMSD (integrated and open computer-aided manufacturing system design). The work has provided valuable information to prove the feasibility of developing an integrated CAMSD framework to support the complete cycle of manufacturing operation-from manufacturing strategy analysis (MSA) to manufacturing system design (MSD) task execution. This has opened up possibilities for a new generation of software to be developed, which can be used online to regulate and automate a manufacturing company's MSD activities. An overview of I/O-CAMSD is provided including the key issues addressed, its overall system structure, its MSA/MSD interface, and its task-centered software structure. The system's actual application within industrial companies is also discussed