Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) introducerades tidigt på 2000-talet för att främja ett arbete med datorbaserade modeller samt involvering av produktionsplanering i designfasen. VDC är ett koncept som idag har anammats inom många bygg- och konsultföretag för att utveckla arbetet med Building Information Model (BIM), innovationer och samverkan inom byggprojekt. Konceptet VDC förändras ständigt och omdefinieras av enskilda individer och företag. Det här resulterar i att det råder en begreppsförvirring hur VDC ska definieras och hur arbete med VDC ska genomföras. Vidare tenderar många byggprojekt att vara fragmenterade med projektmedlemmar som främst fokuserar på sitt eget teknikområde. För att minska fragmentering mellan projektmedlemmar kan integrerade arbetsmetoder tillämpas. Syftet med examensarbetet är därför dels att undersöka innebörden av VDC som koncept och även hur VDC kan stimulera integrerade arbetsmetoder. Ämnet utforskas kvalitativt med vetenskaplig litteratur och intervjustudie. Den vetenskapliga litteraturen definierar konceptuellt VDC och två integrerade arbetsmetoder Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE) och Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Varvid intervjustudien inkluderar respondenter från byggsektorn vars reflektioner om det studerade ämnet presenteras. Studien är geografiskt avgränsad till Sverige.  I resultatet påvisas den rådande tvetydigheten huruvida VDC definieras. För att undvika begreppsförvirring kan det vara behövligt med en gemensam definition av VDC i byggbranschen och även nationella riktlinjer vilka beskriver hur arbete med VDC ska utföras. Vidare kan VDC stimulera ett integrerat arbetssätt genom en ökad samhörighet inom byggprojekt med bland annat gemensamma formuleringar av projektmål och gemensam problemlösning mellan projektmedlemmar. / Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) was introduced early in the 21st century in order to encourage work with computer based models and construction planning in the design phase. VDC is a concept that has been embraced by several construction and consulting companies in order to develop their work with Building Information Model (BIM), innovations and cooperation within construction projects. VDC is a concept that keeps evolving and is being redefined by individuals and companies. This has contributed to a conceptual confusion within the construction sector about the definition of VDC. Furthermore, construction projects tend to be fragmented with project members that are working in silos and primarily focusing on their own discipline. In order to decrease the fragmentation within construction projects integrated working methods can be applied. Therefor the purpose of this master thesis is to explore the concept VDC and how it can stimulate integrated working methods.  The study is examined using qualitative methods based on scientific literature and an interview study. The scientific literature is defining VDC conceptually and two integrated working methods Integrated Concurrent Engineering (ICE) and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Furthermore, the interview study includes respondents from the construction industry whose reflections and thoughts about the subject are being presented. The study is geographically limited to Sweden.  The result shows the current ambiguity of how VDC is defined. In order to avoid a conceptual confusion a common definition should be formulated with national guidelines that describe how work with VDC should be conducted. Furthermore, VDC can stimulate an integrated approach through increased cohesion within construction projects, including common objectives within the project and joint problem solving between project members.

Developing high-end aerospace components is a complex and highly competitive business. Hence methods for decreasing lead-time, while still providing the same quality and at a lower cost, has to be developed. This thesis is conducted at Research & Technology - GKN Aerospace in Trollhättan Sweden. A multidisciplinary analysis system known internally as Engineering Workbench, forms the base for implementation of the methods and tools developed in this thesis work. The system applies set-based engineering approach to develop new components. The evaluation of the design space is performed through parametric studies to find relations between the design parameters and performance metrics of the design. The engineering workbench allows GKN to define and evaluate a large design space within a limited timeframe. This thesis will look to improve the current producibility assessment system within the EWB by increasing the robustness and flexibility of the system. This is done by re-designing the producibility analysis part system and into a modular knowledge-based system that implements various techniques to increase the robustness and flexibility of the system. The re-designed system is automated, flexible and robust and is able to perform user defined weld assessments on a various designs and provides GKN with weld producibility data.

Um sistema composto por orientações de projeto e de processo, por um software CAD, mais especificamente, pelo PRO-ENGINEER (PRO-E) e um sistema de auxílio voltado para a manufatura (SEMF) foi desenvolvido como forma de auxílio ao engenheiro projetista no desenvolvimento do projeto de peças fundidas em areia. Este sistema integrado é capaz de analisar um desenho feito em sistema CAD (PRO-E), de um modelo de uma peça a ser fundida e fornecer um diagnóstico sobre possíveis violações quanto à sua manufatura. Isto é feito através de uma base de conhecimento que reúne informações de como minimizar possíveis defeitos com relação à geometria da peça a o processo de fundição. O desenho deve seguir um procedimento adequado para que as features criadas no PRO-E possam ser reconhecidas pelo sistema, para um possível diagnóstico de problemas existentes na geometria da peça e/ou no processo de fundição. / A computer system based on design and process guidelines and a CAD system has been developed in order to aid an engineer designer to develop cast parts free from defects. The proposed system can analyze and detect, automatically, problems that may happen during the casting process of a part. This is done through a built-in Knowledge Base that gather information on how to avoid defects related to part geometry and casting process. The parts must be designed using the CAD system, PRO-E, and the drawing of the part, must be done following a certain procedure, otherwise the system will not be able to check the part.

"Current approaches to design are often serial and iterative in nature, leading to poor quality of design and reduced productivity. Complex artifacts are designed by groups of experts, each with his/her own area of expertise. Hence design can be modeled as a cooperative multi-agent problem-solving task, where different agents possess different expertise and evaluation criteria. New techniques for Concurrent Design, which emphasize parallel interaction among design experts involved, are needed. During this concurrent design process, disagreements may arise among the expert agents as the design is being produced. The process by which these differences are resolve to arrive at a common set of design decisions is called Negotiation. The main issues associated with the negotiation process are, whether negotiation should be centralized or distributed, the language of communication and the negotiation strategy. The goals of this thesis are to study the work done by various researchers in this field, to do a comarative analysis of their work and to design and implement an approach to handle negotiation between expert agents in an existing Concurrent Engineering Design System."

Dimensional variation analysis (DVA) is a computer based simulation process used to identify potential assembly process issues due the effects of component part and assembly variation during manufacture. The sponsoring company has over a number of years developed a DVA process to simulate the variation behaviour of a wide range of static mechanical systems. This project considers whether the current DVA process used by the sponsoring company is suitable for the simulation of complex kinematic systems. The project, which consists of three case studies, identifies several issues that became apparent with the current DVA process when applied to three types of complex kinematic systems. The project goes on to develop solutions to the issues raised in the case studies in the form of new or enhanced methods of information acquisition, simulation modelling and the interpretation and presentation of the simulation output Development of these methods has enabled the sponsoring company to expand the range of system types that can be successfully simulated and significantly enhances the information flow between the DVA process and the wider product development process.

Rolls-Royce AB in Kristinehamn, Sweden, part of Rolls-Royce Marine, is a leading developer and supplier of water jet and propeller based propulsion equipment. Its low volume production series and wide product variety offered to its customers along with an increasingly competitive market has entailed an increased demand on both delivery time and cost reductions. The on-site manufacturing engineering department is responsible for developing all tools and fixtures, and programming required to maintain the on-site production, assembling and quality testing. As part of the departments streamlining efforts this study aimed on evaluating streamlining possibilities related to the existing tool design used for static balancing and function testing controllable pitch propeller assemblies before packaging and shipping, along with the related tool development and manufacturing processes has been conducted.The process evaluation started from the point when a hub assembly design was finalized until when a manufactured tool was delivered for use in production. Work focused on locating inefficient activities and product properties, with respect to tool cost and lead time, followed by setting up an amendment proposal, implementing it and producing an alternate tool design of which the effects on tool cost and manufacturing lead time would be evaluated. Post evaluating the current state of the process and product a set based front loaded product development methodology known as Modular Function Deployment was chosen to be the applied method. This application resulted in a modular tool design that avoided the determined most inefficient manufacturing operation combination of welding and annealing. Modularity increased manufacturing flexibility, enabling more concurrent manufacturing, to reduce the lead time. The tool design also applied integral properties by identifying the common components and features between tool sizes. This led to reducing manufacturing and material costs. Possible lead time reduction for manufacturing was determined to be 35-45%, 3-4weeks, in comparison with the original tool design due to increased parallel manufacturing and avoiding inefficient manufacturing methods. The estimated cost reduction for combined development and manufacturing was determined to be 105K SEK the initial year followed by 175K SEK the second year assuming the current tool manufacturing rate. The combined effects of reduced cost and lead time would be beneficial to Rolls-Royce AB by contributing to an increase in delivery reliability and competitive prices on the market

Developing process plans and part programs rapidly and correctly for CNC machine tools plays a vital role in manufacturing. This study is concerned with the development of a web-enabled virtual design and manufacturing application system for rotational parts. The object oriented methodology is used in the application development. Windows Distributed interNet Application (DNA) architecture which describes a framework of building software technologies in an integrated web and client-server model of computing, is employed in the system. The entire system was modeled with Unified Modeling Language (UML), which is an industry-standard visual modeling notation to express software development architectures. Feature-based design approach, being a practical way of linking the design with manufacturing, is implemented in the rotational part design. Users have to be registered in order to use the system. With the supplied web site, users can easily register to system. After registration, the user obtains a password and a unique username. Upon the user authentication, the user session starts. A typical user session involves new or past project selection, material selection, part sketching, blank size definition and cutting parameters determination. After all the steps are completed, process plan and part-program, which are required to manufacture the part on Denford Mirac CNC Turning Machine are generated and displayed on the web site and then saved to the database. The application enables the users to see past projects and to generate new process plan and part programs for different cutting parameters. The process plan, part program and the 2D wire frame drawing of the corresponding part are demonstrated on the web site for the chosen projects.

Manufacturing companies are continuously faced with requirements regarding technology novelty, shorter time to market, a higher level of functionality, and lower prices for their products. This is especially true of suppliers that develop and manufacture highly customized products within the automotive industry. It is not uncommon that a request for a new product or subsystem goes out to several suppliers and that the one that can deliver the product most quickly and at the lowest price receives the contract. It is therefore vital for any supplier to answer to quotation requests rapidly and with a high level of precision while also ensuring that company assets are used efficiently. Other issues that apply to suppliers in the automotive industry are heavily fluctuating requirements during development projects, each customer’s individual preferences, and the ever changing interfaces with the OEM product with which the supplier’s product is to be integrated. Platform strategies have been widely accepted in industry to serve a wide product variety while maintaining business efficiency. However, the challenge of applying a platform strategy at the supplier level in the face of the reality described above has not been fully investigated. Platform approaches tend to require a focused development of the platform, which in turn requires some knowledge about which future variants are to be derived from the platform. The research presented in this thesis investigates the state of practice in industry regarding the challenges, needs, and current use of platforms. To respond to the identified need, a platform approach is proposed that expands the scope of what a product platform has traditionally contained. This is undertaken to aid in the development of highly customized products when physical modules or component scalability does not suffice. The platform approach provides a coherent environment for heterogeneous design assets to be used in product development, supporting both the activity of designing and off-the-shelf solutions. The approach is based on identifying and modelling generic product items that are associated with descriptions governing their design. By describing the outcome of technology and product development like finished designs, design guidelines, constraints, etc., in a standardized format, the platform continues to evolve. To aid in using the platform approach, a support system called Design Platform Manager is introduced at a company active as a secondtier supplier in the automotive industry. The system enables the creation of generic product items that can be structured, instantiated, and associated with descriptions, which aids in realizing product variants. The aim of the platform approach and tool is to support the quotation and continued design processes by identifying valid knowledge to use as circumstances, such as requirement changes or new design iterations, warrant. The support tool and overarching model have been evaluated by company representatives, who reported good results.

CAPES / Com a evolução do setor da Construção Civil no Brasil, surge a necessidade da promoção de seu aperfeiçoamento e renovação. Em sua estruturação atual, o setor atua com uma segmentação entre as fases projetual e de execução, cuja conformação cria uma barreira entre fases obrigatoriamente interdependentes. Esta descontinuidade, acrescida às falhas na organização das informações, dificulta a recuperação de dados, induzindo a que profissionais de projeto, gestão e execução tomem decisões baseadas em sua intuição e experiência. Esta dissertação tem por objetivo, avaliar o processo de troca de informações e colaboração entre profissionais dentro do Ciclo Produtivo na Construção Civil, apropriando-se dos fundamentos e conceitos propostos pela Engenharia Simultânea e pela Ontologia. Estes conceitos têm por princípio promover a evolução em paralelo das atividades dentro do desenvolvimento de produto, bem como a retroalimentação das informações e dados gerados durante seu curso. Por este motivo serviu como hipótese para unificar projeto e execução, pois visa garantir que decisões sejam validadas por diferentes profissionais e etapas antes de sua efetiva aplicação. Como metodologia, foram utilizadas ferramentas de pesquisa como: revisão bibliográfica, pesquisa de campo e a aplicação de questionário direcionado aos profissionais atuantes em obras de Construção Civil. Esta estratégia de pesquisa proporcionou a identificação de pontos falhos no processo, o levantamento de aspectos a serem incorporados ao consciente coletivo do processo, por meio de uma abordagem sistêmica das atividades, e a posterior proposição de critérios de melhoria para suas ações. Como resultados, foram propostas ações de melhoria, e, também, o aperfeiçoamento das atividades que já se apresentam embasadas nos critérios da Engenharia Simultânea, porém, pouco desenvolvidas. Estas proposições discutem o processo de produção de obras de Construção Civil em sua totalidade, por meio da eficiente comunicação entre profissionais, colaboração entre funções e, principalmente, a simultaneidade das ações. / With the revolution of the construction industry in Brazil, it becomes necessary to promote its improvement and renovation. This sector in its current state has a segmentation between the stages of a project and its execution, whose conformation creats a barrier between phases that are necessarily independent. This discontinuity, added to failure in organization of informations, hampers the data recovery, and makes management, designers and project professionals to take decisions based on their intuition and experience. This thesis aims to evaluate the process of the exchange of information and collaboration among professionals in the production cycle in building construction, apropriating the grounds and criteria proposed by Concurrent Engineering. This concept has as its principle to promote the development of parallelization of activities in the product development, as well as the feedback of information and data genereted during its course. For this reason it has served as hypothesis to unify the project and its execution, it aims to ensure that decisions are validated by diferent profissionals and stages before its efective implementation. It was used as methodology the following research tools: literature review, field research and a questionary, focused to professionals in construction industry. This strategy of research has provided the identification of weak points in the process (in desagreement with the principles of Concurrent Engineering), rasing of issues to be incorporated into the collective conscious of the process through a systemic approach of activities, and the subsequent proposal of improvement criterion for their actions. As a result of this research, it was proposed improvement actions and also the improvement of activities that has already presented ambased on Concurrent Engineering criterion, underdeveloped, however. These propositions discuss the process of production in construction industry in its totality, through efective communication among professionals, sequence of activities, collaboration between functions and mainly the simultaneity of actions.

Um sistema composto por orientações de projeto e de processo, por um software CAD, mais especificamente, pelo PRO-ENGINEER (PRO-E) e um sistema de auxílio voltado para a manufatura (SEMF) foi desenvolvido como forma de auxílio ao engenheiro projetista no desenvolvimento do projeto de peças fundidas em areia. Este sistema integrado é capaz de analisar um desenho feito em sistema CAD (PRO-E), de um modelo de uma peça a ser fundida e fornecer um diagnóstico sobre possíveis violações quanto à sua manufatura. Isto é feito através de uma base de conhecimento que reúne informações de como minimizar possíveis defeitos com relação à geometria da peça a o processo de fundição. O desenho deve seguir um procedimento adequado para que as features criadas no PRO-E possam ser reconhecidas pelo sistema, para um possível diagnóstico de problemas existentes na geometria da peça e/ou no processo de fundição. / A computer system based on design and process guidelines and a CAD system has been developed in order to aid an engineer designer to develop cast parts free from defects. The proposed system can analyze and detect, automatically, problems that may happen during the casting process of a part. This is done through a built-in Knowledge Base that gather information on how to avoid defects related to part geometry and casting process. The parts must be designed using the CAD system, PRO-E, and the drawing of the part, must be done following a certain procedure, otherwise the system will not be able to check the part.