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Expanded polystyrene foam, a packaging material, is traditionally injection-moulded by classical moulding techniques. However, the design and fabrication of these moulds is both intricate and time-consuming. In today's manufacturing environment of short time-to-market, the luxury of producing a mould for, often, a first-off article for client approval, is virtually untenable. Rapid prototyping technologies appear to offer an alternative method of fabrication which promises to drastically reduce the time for mould fabrication. When rapid prototyping of the mould is combined with microwave curing of the polystyrene, as an alternative source of energy to traditional steam heating, the benefit of considerably short throughput times can be expected. This paper describes the computer-integrated design and fabrication of both the mould and foam product, and discusses the main issues associated with rapid prototyping the mould, viz. accuracy of the prototype mould and the suitability of acrylic resin used in stereolithography apparatus for fabricating the mould, as well as the parameters for moulding expanded polystyrene using microwave energy. Initial results suggest that both the stereolithography process, and the acrylic resin used to build the stereolithographic model, can be used for rapid prototyping expanded foam products and their associated mould. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid prototyping processes produce parts layer by layer directly from the CAD model. The processes proceed by first slicing the geometric model of a part into layers. A standard interface is necessary to convey varied geometric descriptions from numerous CAD packages to Rapid Prototyping (RP) systems. The STL (STereoLithography) format is the most commonly used interface for this purpose. Unfortunately, it is an approximate model and is frequently not robust. Therefore, other interfaces are proposed to be used for RP systems. This paper, Part 1, will discuss several existing interfaces including the STL file for the RP systems. The strengths and weaknesses of these formats when used for RP systems are analysed. Furthermore, a new improved format is proposed by the authors in Part 2. In that paper, the design considerations and data structure of the new format are introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The STL (STereoLithography) file format, as developed by 3D Systems, has been widely used by most Rapid Prototyping (RP) systems and is supported by all major computer-aided design (CAD) systems. However, it is necessary to improve the STL format to meet the development needs of RP technologies. In Part 1, several existing and proposed formats have been discussed. This paper, Part 2, will present an improved interface between CAD and RP systems. The new interface is a file format that supports the STL format, removes redundant information in the STL format and adds topological information to balance storage and processing cost. In addition to supporting facet boundary models, the new interface supports precise models by using the edge-based boundary representation. This paper discusses the design considerations of the new interface and data structures for both facet models and precise models. Finally, a comparison of the new interface and the STL file format will be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is carried out to develop a direct link between a laser digitiser and a rapid prototyping system for biomedical applications. Two CAD/CAM systems, DUCT and Pro-Engineer, are investigated and the DUCT system is found to be more suitable for this purpose. A laser digitiser is used to capture three-dimensional surface data for the object. With the aid of the CAD/CAM system, the data can be manipulated in a number of ways for display, modification and enhancement. In addition, the object scanned by the laser digitiser can be physically produced relatively quickly and accurately using StereoLithography Apparatus (SLA), a leading rapid prototyping system. Feasible and practical solutions to the problems encountered in the CAD surface model construction are proposed and illustrated. Two case studies, a facial and a breast model, are presented. Results show that this integrated approach can be applied effectively in the biomedical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each rapid prototyping (RP) process has its special and unique advantages and disadvantages. The paper presents a state-of-the-art study of RP technologies and classifies broadly all the different types of rapid prototyping methods. Subsequently, the fundamental principles and technological limitations of different methods of RP are closely examined. A comparison of the present and ultimate performance of the rapid prototyping processes is made so as to highlight the possibility of future improvements for a new generation of RP systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid Prototyping (RP) is a technology for rapid computerised building of 3D physical parts. It can be defined as an automated and patternless process which allows solid physical parts to be made directly from computer data in a short time. RP acts as the “manufacturing middle” to link up the computer-aided design (CAD) process and manufacturing processes. It includes the making of prototypes for design verification and even the making of tooling for production. With the trend towards concurrent engineering and the widespread use of CAD, RP has quickly become a booming business in the past few years. This paper presents an overview of the implementation of RP technology in Hong Kong and the critical decision factors in implementing RP in the Hong Kong manufacturing industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Connectors are developed to satisfy the needs of advanced technology in telecommunication switching systems and companies have several products designed to fulfil the needs of the many switching networks available. The “Four-wall-header” is one such product from one company. The traditional manufacturing line relies heavily on hard tooling which is both expensive and time-consuming. This paper presents an alternative method of integrating rapid prototyping technologies, in particular, stereolithography apparatus (SLA), with a vacuum casting system to produce a wide range of polyurethane parts. Altogether, three approaches are analysed and evaluated for making the moulds: rapid pattern, rapid tooling and a hybrid approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, new surgical techniques have been developed to improve the quality of operations, reduce the risk to patients and reduce the pain experienced by patients. Prominent developments include minimally invasive surgery, robot-assisted hip operations, computer-assisted surgery (CAS) and virtual reality (VR). These developments have helped surgeons operate under difficult visual conditions. Rapid prototyping (RP) technology has also found applications in medicine. The RP technique is able to fabricate a representative, physical 3D model. This 3D model can enhance interpretation, visual and physical evaluation, and the rehearsal and planning of the surgical steps before a surgical operation is carried out in order to eradicate the trauma. This paper presents the procedures involved in the conversion of computerised tomography (CT) scan data to a useful physical model. A case study of a CT scanned file of a patient who had an injury to the right eye socket is presented. Three different RP systems (SLA, SGC and LOM) are benchmarked for comparison in terms of the surface finish, accuracies, visual appearance and processing speed. Because of the ability of RP to fabricate models that are complex in design with intricate features that may be hidden by undercuts, as demonstrated in this paper, the results of this research can be extended to applications in general engineering. One specific area of application would be reverse engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid prototyping has gained wide industrial acceptance in recent years. Its main advantage is that it improves the “time to market” and the design quality of a product. Most rapid prototyping processes have to build the solid volume layer by layer. The tracing of the cross-sectional area in each layer is the most time-consuming step. The process can be speeded up if the material volume to be traced can be reduced by extracting some empty volumes in the original solid. However, the hollow solid generated by employing the negative solid offset technique is subject to the problem of no interior support. In this paper, a sub-boundary octree approach of generating thin shell solids with reinforced interior structuring is proposed. The procedures to generate a reinforced thin shell solid are studied. Various testing models are produced by a fused deposition modelling rapid prototyper and the results are supportive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geometric accuracy of components is one of the most important quality characteristics in layered manufacturing processes on which most rapid prototyping (RP) techniques are based. Layered manufacturing is an approximate fabricating process in which the final geometric error of the physical part is affected, not only by the approximation technique used, but also by the fabrication process. Errors that occur in one layer could propagate and transfer to other layers causing an accumulated error effect in the process. In this paper, a concept of disturbance error is introduced to describe the effect of accumulated errors in the fabrication process. A physical model is presented to describe error interactions and error transfer mechanisms in the layered manufacturing process. A geometrical model is developed using surface approximation techniques to describe the relationships of the geometrical errors. It is shown that although the complexity of the part geometry is not directly related to the manufacturing process, it will affect the geometrical errors of the part produced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered manufacturing based rapid prototyping processes are subjected to not only a staircase effect owing to the approximating process used, but also an accumulated error transfer between layers. Certain types of error such as surface tilting and layer thickness variations that occur in one layer can transfer to other layers above it. This paper describes a mathematical model based on the physical and geometrical models discussed in Part 1 of the paper. The model uses the matrix transformation method to analyse the effect of transformation of local errors to the multiple layer global errors. A data preparation error transformation matrix is used to describe the error interactions between layers during the data preparation stage. A disturbance error transformation matrix is used to describe the error interaction within each layer and error propagation between layers during the part building process. This model describes geometrical error analysis involving profiling error, layer inclination and layer thickness variations. Numerical evaluation of the model is carried out for a typical benchmark component. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prototypes of a design are always needed for the purposes of visualisation and evaluation for manufacturability, functionality, and aesthetic appearance. Since the prototyping process requires a significant amount of cost and time, various rapid prototyping processes have recently been introduced. However, it is usually necessary for a part built up by a rapid prototyping system to be finished by a post-processing process, in which the stair steps on the surfaces, the support structures (if they exist), and the unprocessed material are eliminated. This post-processing is usually done manually and is a time-consuming task. Eliminating the trapped volumes (the volume of the unprocessed material entrapped by the solidified portion) is sometimes impossible in some processes. This study provides a designer with a tool to detect the existence of trapped volumes and to calculate the quantity in a given build-up direction, so that a suitable build-up direction is chosen or the part is built in pieces to avoid the problems caused by the trapped volumes. Since the proposed algorithm can efficiently calculate the amount of the trapped volumes in any build-up direction, it has the potential for such applications as optimising the build-up direction to minimise the trapped volumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid prototyping (RP) is the production of a physical model from a computer model without the need for any jig or fixture or numerically controlled (NC) programming. This technology has also been referred to as layer manufacturing, material deposit manufacturing, material addition manufacturing, solid freeform manufacturing and three-dimensional printing. In the last decade, a number of RP techniques has been developed. These techniques use different approaches or materials in producing prototypes and they give varying shrinkage, surface finish and accuracy. Virtual prototyping (VP) is the analysis and simulation carried out on a fully developed computer model, therefore performing the same tests as those on the physical prototypes. It is also sometimes referred to as computer-aided engineering (CAE) or engineering analysis simulation. This paper describes a comparative study of the two prototyping technologies with respect to their relevance in product design and manufacture. The study investigates the suitability and effectiveness of both technologies in the various aspects of prototyping, which is part and parcel of an overall design and manufacturing cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid tooling (RT) is the technology that adopts rapid prototyping (RP) techniques and applies them to tool and die making. Research into RT techniques has shown that it is gaining more importance and is starting to pose a serious threat to conventional machining. In this paper, several popular RT techniques are discussed and then classified. A comparison is also made on these techniques based on tool life, tool development time and cost of tool development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new approach to remove point data with Delaunay triangulation is introduced to deal with the size problems of the STL file and the difficulties in the operation of the rapid prototyping (RP) process. The selection of a group of triangles, based on the angle, is used for a robust and reliable implementation of the Delaunay triangulation method. The developed software enables the user to specify the criteria for the selection of the group of triangles by the angle between triangles, the percentage of reduced triangles, and the allowable area. This approach can be used to reduce the measuring data from the laser scanner, thus save the handling time of point data during the modelling process and is useful for verifying and slicing the STL model during the RP process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, Part 2, the emphasis is on a secondary powder deposition method, which is an electrostatic technique based on electrography. Developed toner on the photoconductor is scraped off using mechanical shearing and is deposited using an electrostatic force by electroplating. Results have shown that by reducing the distance between the photoconductor and surface of deposition, the resolution of the printout can be refined. Other important factors include the efficiency of powder removal from the photoconductor, printing speed, and the traversing speed during deposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PROTOTYPES, COMPUTER-aided design, COMPUTERS in engineering, INTERNET, WIDE area networks, and ENGINEERING design

The STL file, which is de facto standard for the rapid prototyping industries, has too large a file size. This paper proposes an improved interface between CAD and rapid prototyping systems, i.e. a CS (compressed STL) file that has very low data storage redundancies and is completely compatible with the STL file. The CS file is about a quarter of the size of the original binary STL file, without any model information loss. This is very suitable for file transferring via the Internet. Removing coordinate data of duplicate vertices, bit-compression technology, and a comparison of the size and compressed performance of the STL and the CS are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

FLEXIBLE manufacturing systems, PETRI nets, MATERIAL requirements planning, PROCESS control systems, PRODUCTION engineering, and PRODUCTION scheduling

Manufacturing systems are faced with ever-increasing customisation and unstable demand. The traditional hierarchical control structures for shop floor (pre-release planning, scheduling, dispatching and activity control) are often inflexible in responding to unexpected scenario changes and are thus not robust to system disturbances. In this paper, an object-oriented approach to modelling of FMS dynamic tool allocation and control under a non-hierarchical shop floor control scheme using coloured Petri nets is presented. A client–server paradigm is used in the proposed modelling method. The complete FMS model is partitioned into individual classes (machines, magazines, tool transport system, SGVs, tool storage, etc.) thereby significantly reducing the complexity of the model to a tractable size. The system performance under different tool request selection rules is also evaluated using coloured Petri net simulation. The proposed method can provide the designer of a tool management system with a high-level and structured representation of the tool-sharing control. It also provides an effective method for prototyping and evaluating performance of object-oriented shop floor control software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TURBINE blades, PROTOTYPES, ROTATIONAL motion (Rigid dynamics), EMBEDDED computer systems, ELECTRIC generators, ELECTRIC power, and FEASIBILITY studies

This paper presents the methodology for quantifying the blade assembly process with the future objective of fully automated assembly planning. The proposed method is aimed at eliminating the expensive and time-consuming physical prototyping needs by analysing and evaluating the feasibility of the blade assembly process using a CAD-based virtual prototype. The virtual prototype of the entire assembly operation is created for the blade assembly from a torque converter of an automobile transmission system. This model development is implemented using ProEngineer. Owing to the modelling requirements, the design intents, pertinent parameters, and their relationships in the entire blade assembly process must be captured and integrated into the model. The virtual assembly prototyping package developed is capable of computing and offering computer animated simulations of the interference of the blade tabs with the turbine and the pump shell during the assembly process. The work focuses on quantifying the blade assembly process by expertly defining some benchmarks and indices based on the kinematic behaviour of the assemblages. The benchmarks can also be used for documenting, evaluating, and comparing the blade assembly designs in various assemblages of torque converters to improve and transfer the experiences of the designers embedded in the model, for the torque converter industry. The model developed in this work has been tested and verified to be effective with a real torque converter model built at a local company. The results of the experiments are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TISSUE engineering, DESIGN, PROTOTYPES, POWDER metallurgy, CONCURRENT engineering, and MANUFACTURING processes

In tissue engineering (TE), a porous scaffold structure may be required as a template to guide the proliferation, growth and development of cells appropriately in three dimensions. Although TE scaffolds can be created using one of many conventional techniques available, most will suffer from a lack of mechanical strength and/or uniformity in pore distribution and sizes. This study is focused on creating scaffolds using rapid prototyping (RP) techniques. Utilising these novel techniques, a computer-aided design (CAD) of the scaffold structure must first be modelled. The scaffold structure is then fabricated directly from CAD data using a RP system. The objective of this research is to (1) investigate and select various polyhedral shapes suitable for scaffold modelling, (2) classify the selected unit cells, (3) create a parametric library of scaffold structures and (4) verify by building the CAD models using the selective laser sintering process. The first two objectives are covered in Part 1 of this two-part paper. The remaining objectives will be described and discussed in Part 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TISSUE engineering, PROTOTYPES, CONCURRENT engineering, FEASIBILITY studies, BIOMEDICAL engineering, COMPUTER-aided design, and MANUFACTURING processes

Rapid prototyping (RP) techniques have been found to be advantageous for tissue engineering (TE) scaffold fabrication due to their ability to address and overcome the problems of uncontrollable microstructure and the feasibility issues of complex three-dimensional structures found in conventional processing techniques. This research proposes a novel approach for TE scaffold manufacture using RP techniques. The approach involves the integration of medical imaging devices (CT/MRI) for the acquisition of anatomic structural data, three-dimensional CAD modelling for designing and creating the digital scaffold models and RP for fabricating the physical scaffolds. To aid the user in CAD modelling, a standard parametric library of scaffold structures is designed and developed. With the library, a user can select the geometry of the scaffold unit cell and size it to suit the end application of the TE scaffold. A developed application program will then assemble the scaffold structure from the selected unit cell, following the surface profile of the anatomic structure to be replicated. A physical scaffold will then be built using an RP system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAPID prototyping, PROTOTYPES, RAPID tooling, MANUFACTURING processes, FLEXIBLE manufacturing systems, and SURFACE roughness

As the race to launch a product successfully into the market increases in speed, the drive to reduce metal tooling lead time will become more important. Time reduction for fabricating metal tools depends on fast, efficient, and flexible manufacturing processes that dramatically reduce lead times while not sacrificing mechanical properties. A novel process of rapid tooling, non-baking of ceramic moulding, was studied. It uses a casting mould made from ceramic slurry and rapid prototyping to form a metal tool. It provides a quick, accurate, and relatively cost-effective route for producing metal parts or tools. The process and key technologies are analysed in detail. The process has been used in the automotive, consumer products, casting, and toy industries. Applications show that the total costs for new products can be reduced by as much as 40–60%, and lead times can be reduced by 50–60%. The surface roughness is approximately Ra = 3.2, and it can be improved to better that Ra = 1.6 by polishing. The dimensional accuracy relative to size is about ±0.1 mm for dimensions less than 200 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAPID prototyping, NEW product development, PROTOTYPES, RAW materials, SHEAR waves, PHOTOPOLYMERIZATION, MANUFACTURING processes, and FINITE element method

Stereolithography is one of the rapid prototyping processes which uses a photopolymer as the raw material to build prototypes. The photopolymer absorbs energy by selective laser exposure. The curing effect starts when the absorbing energy exceeds a critical value, and the process is called photopolymerisation. The photopolymerisation changes the phase from liquid to solid. The cured volume can expand and then shrink on cooling. The process parameters such as the scanning speed, scanning path, scanning pitch, and the slicing thickness, lead to different shrinkage and curl distortion, so, the photopolymerisation process is a dynamic material behaviour. In this study, a dynamic finite element simulation code has been developed to simulate the photopolymerisation process. The simulated result for a suspended beam which corresponds to the process parameters shows that a short raster causes less curl distortion than a long raster. The experimental result agrees very well with the simulated result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAPID prototyping, PROTOTYPES, NEW product development, COATING processes, MANUFACTURING processes, LARGE scale systems, and CONCURRENT engineering

Many technological difficulties exist in the field of rapid prototyping (RP) technology when making large-scale prototypes. The manufacturing efficiency is the main problem, and the process implemention and RP equipment also present difficulties. In this paper, the concept of divisional parallel scan is presented. Laminated object manufacturing (LOM) technology is used for the basic forming process and has been improved continuously through practice. Static divisional scan technology was also better developed to dynamic divisional scan technology, which can help in achieving the object of improving work efficiency and optimising design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAPID prototyping, NEW product development, COMPUTER-aided design, METAL spraying, METAL coating, MANUFACTURING processes, and CONCURRENT engineering

In order to build the complex built-in labyrinth design of an emitter which is a key element in water-saving devices, rapid prototyping and manufacturing (RP&M) is used to design the emitters and to manufacture corresponding rapid tooling (RT). Detailed CAD design of the emitter, CAD process design, and the generation of RT process modelling of the emitter have been carried out using parameterised design. Prototypes have been built using RP techniques to perform the rapid verification and modification of the emitter design; rapid tooling (RT) for the emitter has been fabricated using a metal spraying process to carry out trial-production. Finally, with the fabrication ofa precision mould as the basis, emitter mould design and manufacturing have been completed. As a result, the integration of design/verification/manufacturing of a mould and its products is realised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LIQUID crystal displays, LIQUID crystal devices, NEW product development, MANUFACTURING processes, LITHOGRAPHY, RAPID prototyping, FINITE element method, and COMPUTER simulation

In many investigations, a liquid crystal display (LCD) has been used as the photo mask in a stereolithography system. The LCD mask has the potential to increase the speed of rapid prototyping (RP) fabrication as well as to reduce the system cost. Compared to the conventional laser-scanning technique used in 3D systems stereolithography apparatus (SLA), the reaction heat of layer curing is released as the area is exposed, and it is higher than that of the laser scanning in which the reaction heat only releases point-by-point. On the other hand, mask type stereolithography has a more serious shrinkage effect than the other methods and requires further analysis. This paper analyses the shrinkage deformation of the mask type stereolithography process. A simulation code based on the dynamic finite-element method has been developed to predict the 3D shrinkage and to monitor the RP fabrication, which consists of three stages of simulation which include the pre-processor, the analytic processor and the post-processor. In order to fabricate experimental parts, a mask type stereolithography system has been assembled. The principle of the experimental apparatus is also briefly described. For evaluation of the experimental and simulation results, a thin shell wall rectangular part was fabricated and measured. The simulation program developed has been proved to be in good agreement with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TESTING-machines, COORDINATE measuring machines, RAPID prototyping, REVERSE engineering, COMPUTER-aided design, PARAMETER estimation, and NUMERICAL analysis

One objective of this work is to determine the optimal combination of the probe diameter and grid distance for freeform surface measurement, and another is to determine the optimal parameters for the local Shepard interpolation. The optimal combination of the probe diameter and grid distance for freeform surface measurement was determined through a Taguchi matrix experiment. The smaller the probe diameter and grid distance, the better the accuracy of the surface normal based on the configured matrix experimental result. The optimal parameters, namely the exponent μ and the radius R, for the local Shepard interpolation were determined by using the minimisation method of the root-mean-square normalised error (RMSNE) between the measured data points and the theoretical data points on a standard steel ball surface. The optimal parameters determined were actually applied to the measurement of a freeform surface (mouse surface) on a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). The local Shepard interpolation method was used to interpolate 16 control points from 1054 measured data points. Bi-cubic Bezier- and B-spline surface CAD models were constructed through these interpolated control points. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAPID prototyping, PROTOTYPES, LASERS, INDUSTRIAL engineering, and MANUFACTURING processes

To meet the requirement of faster and precise slicing in rapid prototyping, a direct slicing approach from AutoCAD solid models is proposed. The sliced layers are saved in ASCII DXF files. Lines, arcs and circles are used to describe the section contours. This approach can be used in stereolithography, selective laser sintering, fused deposition modelling, and other rapid prototyping processes, e.g. laminated object manufactu-ing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SIMULATION methods & models, MODELS & modelmaking, BOTTLENECKS (Manufacturing), PRODUCTION scheduling, MANAGEMENT, and THREE-dimensional imaging

Filling lines are too complex to allow realistic models of them to be evaluated analytically. In this paper, the requirements for designing filling lines are analysed, and a directed graph-based modelling formalism which unifies object oriented analysis methods, and the 3D geometry and mechanism required for the simulation is proposed. A framework of a virtual simulation system is proposed, and the architecture and main modules of the prototyping tool are introduced. These provide an integrated tool for the design and optimisation of filling lines. Entire facilities and filling line can be modelled in the modelling and simulation environment to evaluate alternatives, and to identify physical bottlenecks. An example is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SILICA sand, TEMPERATURE, CALCIUM, ALUMINUM, MAGNESIUM, and MELTING points

Silica sand is commonly used in the foundry industry. With a high melting point of 160°C, the silica sand is normally sintered in a high-temperature furnace. However, silica with contents of calcium, aluminium, magnesium, and chlorine, etc. can form low-melting point eutectics. Therefore, a relatively low-power laser can be used to sinter the silica sand directly. The investigation of the mechanism and process for direct laser sintering of the silica sand, without any binder, is presented in this paper. Combined with rapid prototyping (RP) technology, the laser sintering of the silica sand can be used to directly fabricate a sand casting mould, called a rapid sand casting mould. By avoiding the time-consuming process of fabricating a pattern, the rapid sand casting mould process has the potential of further reducing the lead time for producing a casting product. Some important issues, such as the lead time of producing a sand mould, its accuracy, and surface finish, etc., are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

RAPID prototyping, NEW product development, MANUFACTURING processes, ASYNCHRONOUS transfer mode, SMALL business, TECHNOLOGICAL innovations, and INFORMATION resources management

Faced with today's competitive market, the development of innovative product needs to be accelerated. But this is limited by heterogeneous systems and a distributed environment. A way of utilising network technology to this end must be found. In this paper, we use a new approach, called asynchronous and synchronous coupling, which is a network-based product development approach. This is then applied to rapid-response manufacturing by small- and medium-sized enterprises in a distributed environment. It demonstrates integrated thinking, high development speed and a transparent development process. Visual technology and real-time monitoring technology are used to solve asynchronous process and data management problems. An ICE (integrated collaborative environment) is also created to support synchronous collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]