A model-driven ontology approach for manufacturing system interoperability and knowledge sharing

The requirements for the interoperability of semantics and knowledge have become increasingly important in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), in the drive towards knowledge-driven decision support in the manufacturing industry. This article presents a novel concept, based on the Model Driven Architecture (MDA). The concept has been implemented under the Interoperable Manufacturing Knowledge Systems (IMKS) project in order to understand the extent to which manufacturing system interoperability can be supported using radically new methods of knowledge sharing. The concept exploits the capabilities of semantically well-defined core concepts formalised in a Common Logic-based ontology language. The core semantics can be specialised to configure multiple application-specific knowledge bases, as well as product and manufacturing information platforms. Furthermore, the utilisation of the expressive ontology language and the generic nature of core concepts help support the specification of system mechanisms to enable the verification of knowledge across multiple platforms. An experimental demonstration, using a test case based on the design and manufacture of an aerospace part, has been realised. This has led to the identification of several benefits of the approach, its current limitations as well as the areas to be considered for further work.