Abstract
Abstract
Design tool integration is a primary goal for any technical department in order to satisfy time constraints imposed by the market competition. While commercial products actually present valuable integration features, custom tools developed on the basis of company know-how are still lacking from this point of view. In this paper the authors describe a procedure to build an XML platform capable of integrating design tools, preserving their architecture. This database allows the storage of product configurations and its dimensional parameters in a hierarchical structure that can be easily translated into STEP format. In such a way a virtual prototype of the part can be obtained by a descriptor-based modelling system that allows design cycle automation and complete design tool integration. The work has been developed within the framework of cooperation between Nuovo Pignone, the Florentine plant of General Electric - Oil and Gas, and the University of Florence.