Fundamentals of Digital Manufacturing Science

Digital manufacturing science, as a new interdisciplinary area, has its own theoretic system, and its theory system is constructed based on its research object and content. According to the connotation of digital manufacturing science in Chap.​ 1, the research object of digital manufacturing science is the digital manufacturing system, and its research contents are the basic theory and key technology of a digital manufacturing system. Therefore, this chapter, which is based on the integrity of discipline theory and combines the connotation of generalized digital manufacturing and the actual demand of the digital manufacturing system, proposes the operation reference mode and architecture of the digital manufacturing system and discusses the critical modeling theory and method of digital manufacturing science. Finally, it puts forward the theory system of digital manufacturing science, and lays the foundation for subsequent chapters.

Digital manufacturing concerns systematically researching the manufacturing processes, equipment, technology, organization, management, marketing and control of a series of problems from discrete, systematic, dynamic, non-linear and time-varying viewpoints. The discrete and numeral processes involve a series of basic theory problems, such as how to synthetically consider different kinds of computation problems about manufacturing systems and processes with regard to digitization, how to establish formalization representations, construct effective computation models and propose highly effective computational methods, which is one of the basic theory problems that must be researched and solved in digital manufacturing. Computing manufacturing aims to integrate computational geometry, processing principles, sensor information fusion, network control and maintenance and computational intelligence methods by using the computer to represent, compute, reason and process the manufacturing process and manufacturing system (including geometric representation, computation, optimization and reasoning of manufacturing), to solve feature and geometric modeling, reasoning, control, planning, scheduling and management of complex calculation and analysis in the manufacturing process. Thus, computing manufacturing science is the core of digital manufacturing.

The high speed development of computer networks and information technology has enabled manufacturing enterprises to enter the Information Age. To adapt to such competition, we should rethink the information science problems in manufacturing, which give rise to the technology and techniques of manufacturing informatics. Manufacturing informatics is a new interdisciplinary area, which synthesizes manufacturing science, information science, system science, control science and management science. It mainly researches the logical expression of information, optimal distribution, and the effective operation of manufacturing processes and manufacturing systems. The digitization of manufacturing information makes manufacturing processes and manufacturing decisions controllable and visible. Moreover, since the digitized manufacturing information can be transmitted through a wide area network (WAN) with a certain series of protocols, the manufacturing information can usually be shared and collaborative. Digital manufacturing is driven by information, and manufacturing informatics is the core and basic theory of digital manufacturing science.

Intelligent manufacturing means simulation the intelligent manufacture activity of human expert through computer by using a highly flexible and integrated way in every portion of manufacturing, and then analyze, estimate, conclude, conceive and decide the manufacturing problem, with the purpose to replace or prolongation some part of human brainwork in manufacturing environment, and collect, store, perfect, share, inherit and develop the human experts’ manufacture intelligent. Its major research contents include intelligent activity, intelligent machine and the methods of combining these two things organically, of which the core is intelligent activity.

Since the 20th century, with the continuous development of science and technology, manufacturing technology and life science have made a great breakthrough, which is leading the trends in technology. The combination of life science and modern advanced manufacturing technique will bring about a new revolution in manufacturing science. Nowadays, similarity between manufacturing industry informatization and life sciences engineering-oriented implementation is becoming more and more obvious and prominent. Life subjects and manufacturing disciplines should learn from each other; as the saying goes, “A Stone from Other Hills may Serve to Polish the Jade of This One”.

The basic process of digital manufacturing is the design, simulation and manufacture of product in digital environment. That is, when receiving an order, firstly complete the conceptual design and overall design. Then finish the computer simulation or rapid prototyping process. Until the technics planning engineering, CAM and CAQ process are completed, and the product eventually comes into being. The process above is not just a simple manufacturing process, but a complex system which relates to numerous links. So, traditional manufacturing enterprises must establish a new organization and management model to adapt to the digital manufacturing process. In a digital enterprise, a perfect competitive system of markets should be established to enhance the enterprise’s competitive power. Under this competitive system, according to the continuously changing market information and customers’ order and going from the overall-situation and long-term benefits, the enterprise can evaluate its production and management state, forecast its future operation status, decide the research and development strategy and production plan by the decision model. To achieve these functions, management of technology becomes one of the basic theories of digital manufacturing science.

The key technologies of digital manufacturing science are the technology system formed by a series of advanced digital technology, which are based on the basic theory of digital manufacture science, and take the optimized implementation of digital manufacturing system as target. They will realize various key links and system support platform of digital manufacturing system, and they are also an indispensable important part of digital manufacturing. 

In recent years, some basic concepts and basic theories of digital manufacturing science have been proposed to research agenda, a growing number of research institutions and researchers at home and abroad have plunged into the research field of digital manufacturing science, launched some fruitful research and obtained primary achievement. With the popularization of digital manufacturing theory, the deepening of digital manufacturing theoretical system, the breakthrough of digital manufacturing key technology and application platform and the implementation of digital manufacturing standards and tools, digital manufacturing scientific system will certainly obtain more extensive development. In future research, precision, extremalization and environmental protection will be the main direction of development. The research breakthrough of the three fields will further expand the connotation of digital manufacturing science and upgrade the technical level of digital manufacture.