Advanced Design and Manufacturing Based on STEP

The globalisation of manufacturing has led to a need for a common language which can be used throughout the entire product development life cycle. Advanced Design and Manufacturing Based on STEP discusses the most successful of the proposed solutions – the STandard for Exchange of Product model, or STEP. STEP aims to provide a complete computer-interpretable product data format, so that users can integrate business and technical data to support all aspects of the product development cycle. Of particular significance is the publication of STEP-NC as an extension of STEP to NC.The twenty chapters in this volume cover recent research results, and a range of STEP and STEP-NC application case studies from the fields of design and manufacturing.Advanced Design and Manufacturing Based on STEP will serve as a useful compilation for researchers and students in advanced manufacturing technologies and manufacturing information systems.

Xun Xu’s recent work centres around the deployment of the STEP-NC data model, in replacement of the 50-year-old G-code model, to achieve a total integrated CAD/CAM/CNC scenario. He was invited to chair an editorial panel to lead a Special Issue on "STEP-Compliant Process Planning and Manufacturing" for the International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing. Associate Professor Xu obtained his PhD from UMIST, UK, and is now a member of the Department of Manufacturing Engineering at the University of Auckland, where he is Director of the Intelligent and Interoperable Manufacturing Systems Research Group, and Head of the Manufacturing Systems Laboratory.Associate Professor Xu is a member of the editorial boards for several journals, including the International Journal of Production Research and Robotics & Computer Integrated Manufacturing.Andrew Y. C. Nee has been working on several areas in manufacturing engineering, including computer-aided mould, die and fixture design; distributed manufacturing systems; and augmented reality applications in manufacturing. His most recent co-edited book, entitled Collaborative Design and Planning for Digital Manufacturing, was published by Springer in early 2009.Professor Nee earned his PhD from the Victoria University of Manchester and joined the University of Singapore the following year. In 1982 he became the first person from outside the USA to be awarded the Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer's Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He is currently Director of the Office of Research at the National University of Singapore, as well as chairman of Manusoft Technologies Pte Ltd. Professor Nee is regional editor of Springer's International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology and of the International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, in addition to being a member of the editorial boards for another 20 journals in manufacturing engineering. He currently holds the chairmanship of the Scientific and Technical Committee Design and is also a council member.