The flexible integration of machine objects within distributed manufacturing systems

Manufacturing processes are required to adapt to change as businesses respond to global competition. The paper describes a framework for building distributed manufacturing processes based on an integrating infrastructure. Through a decomposition based on application function, application interoperation and application interaction, proposals are made for structuring the integration software required to flexibly implement distributed systems which can evolve to support required change. The paper describes the architecture used in a proof of concept implementation of a machine vision process made up of distributed application objects. Support for change is demonstrated through comparison with a conventional distributed system which does not make use of the services of an integrating infrastructure. In describing the system architecture, requirements for `soft` CIM building blocks which can be `plugged` into an integrating infrastructure are defined. This work together with a range of approaches to application interoperation proposed by researchers at the MSI Research Institute are being further investigated through an EPSRC funded project entitled `Manufacturing Software Interoperability: Steps towards Interoperating Distributed Objects`.