Manufacturing Process Management System for Engineering Change Tracking

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Solution Overview

Problem

As products become larger and more complex, managing engineering and manufacturing changes across different continents and ensuring clear communication between design, manufacturing, and production teams becomes increasingly difficult, leading to challenges in tracking parts and processes, especially when changes occur after production has begun.

Innovation Solution

A Manufacturing Process Management (MPM) computer device and method that receives engineering designs and manufacturing process plans, compares operations with requirements, associates requirements with operations, and stores completion notifications to manage changes effectively across multiple configurations and versions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If products become larger and more complex, then product functionality and capabilities are improved, but the difficulty to track parts and processes and manage changes increases exponentially

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct functionalityVSAvoidtracking and management complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a centralized manufacturing process management system that acts as an intermediary between design engineers, manufacturing engineers, and mechanics. This system includes a database storing engineering designs, manufacturing process plans, and change records, along with software that automatically tracks and manages changes throughout the product lifecycle. The system mediates communication and coordination across distributed teams, reducing the exponential complexity that would otherwise arise from manual tracking of parts and processes in large, complex products.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If changes are made to product design after production has begun, then product adaptability and responsiveness to requirements changes are improved, but the risk of errors and the effort to trace changes through documents increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedesign change capabilityVSAvoidchange tracking accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the manufacturing process management system continuously monitors and tracks changes to engineering designs and manufacturing process plans. When a change is made, the system automatically updates all related documents and records, providing real-time feedback to ensure consistency across the entire product lifecycle. This automated feedback loop eliminates manual tracing efforts and reduces errors by ensuring that all stakeholders have access to the most current information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing a centralized database and automated tracking mechanisms before production begins. This allows changes to be managed systematically from the outset, with all documents and processes linked to the central system. When changes occur during production, the automated system is already in place to handle the updates efficiently, reducing the risk of errors compared to manual change management approaches.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If distributed teams across different continents are used, then product development capability and resource access are improved, but clear communication and coordination between teams become increasingly difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproduct development capabilityVSAvoidcommunication clarity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal manufacturing process management system that serves multiple functions: storing engineering designs, creating manufacturing process plans, tracking changes, and communicating with distributed teams. This single centralized system handles all communication and coordination needs across different continents, ensuring that all teams access the same information through a common platform. The system's multi-functionality eliminates the need for multiple separate communication channels, reducing information loss and improving coordination efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10162342B2System and methods for managing changes to a product in a manufacturing environment including an anytime design check

Publication Date: 2018.12.25 THE BOEING CO

AI summary

A manufacturing process management (MPM) computer device is provided. The MPM computer device includes a processor and at least one memory device. The MPM computer device is configured to receive a first engineering design for a first configuration of a product to be assembled including an engineering bill of materials and a plurality of requirements, receive a first manufacturing process plan for the first configuration of the product including a plurality of operations, compare the plurality of operations with the plurality of requirements to determine whether each requirement of the plurality of requirements is met by at least one of the plurality of operations, associate each requirement with one or more of the plurality of operations based on the comparison, receive a notification from a user indicating that a first operation is complete, and store an indication that one or more requirements associated with the first operation are complete.