Model-Based Definition in Manufacturing Ecosystems: A Case of Finnish Mechanical Engineering Industry

In countries with high production costs such as Finland, the need to design and manufacture products with high quality and speed has become even more important. Thanks to efficient design and manufacturing methods, the number of iteration rounds required can be minimized. In Model-Based Definition (MBD), the 3D model serves as a tool to provide not only geometry, but also Product and Manufacturing Information (PMI) (surface qualities, tolerances, materials, additional instructions, identification) from design throughout the product life cycle. In an ideal product process, the MBD dataset is readable by both humans and information systems, whereby PMI is automatically transferred from one design and production system to another using the MBD dataset. The MBD dataset is machine-readable and enables the generation of automatic machining and measuring paths. This feature speeds up the programming process and reduces the chance of human error. So far, the potential of the MBD dataset has been little exploited at different stages of the product life cycle due to technical, economical, and human reasons.

This article-based dissertation consists of four peer-reviewed scientific publications. The research showed that Model-Based Definition significantly speeds up product machining and automatic inspection when PMI data is added to the product already at the design stage. In addition, it was found that PMI-based measurement programming enhances automatic inspection to a certain serial size. The dissertation also examined the expectations and goals of Finnish mechanical engineering companies for a Model-Based approach and what kind of challenges are seen in companies to implement the method. Increasing the product and operations quality is the most interesting objective of introducing the MBD. On the other hand, a decisive challenge to adopt MBD in companies and their networks, is a lack of personnel’s skills to act according to MBD methods.