KQML Servers for Knowledge Based Engineering Information System

The concurrent engineering of acquired subsystems is a unique problem faced by many large manufacturers. Examples abound in the auto, aerospace, and machine tool industries. As these manufacturers push the performance characterstics of their final product they must concurrently engineer the product as they help their suppliers engineer the sub-systems. To address this problem, a distributed product information exchange program that supports inter-operation between the engineering and design tools of major manufacturers and the design and engineering tools of the suppliers needs to be developed. These tools are autonomous in that they are used daily for specific design and engineering activities. In order to achieve this objective, we propose development of several KQML servers. KQML servers recognize that the tools to which they are "attached" can be autonomous agents. Several KQML servers will be implemented. They are: - 3D product modeling KQML server - 2D drafting product modeling KQML server - Kinematic modeling KQML server - Parts repository KQML server. To support wide use of these servers, they will provide a PDES/STEP Standard Data Access Interface (SDAI) API for applications in the above domain. This will allow the servers to be linked into applications from different vendors in each of these domains. Anticipated Benefits: We anticipate the market for these servers to be $200 MM by 2000. The market consists of major manufacturers (e.g. GM), Regional manufacturing councils, CAD vendors, and system integrators (e.g. Arthur Anderson). Major manufacturers and regional councils will use these servers to setup knowledge based engineering information systems to collaborate with small business suppliers. CAD vendors will offer these servers as part of their framework products.