Product Model ontology and its use in capability-based matchmaking

Capability-based matchmaking aims to support rapid design and reconfiguration of modular plug-and-produce type production systems. It relies on formal ontological descriptions of product requirements and resource capabilities. This paper introduces the structure and content of the developed Product Model ontology, and explains its role as a part of the capability matchmaking procedure. A case product is modelled in order to visualize a matchmaking scenario. We expect that such matchmaking will reduce the workload of system designers and reconfiguration planners as it can automatically suggest potential resources for a certain need from large resource catalogues.