CALS

Objectives

The main goal which is pursued by the enterprise at implementation of CALS  is cost minimization during all product lifecycle, increase in its quality and competitiveness. And also increase in efficiency and competitiveness of industrial enterprises. This result due to significant reduction of terms of mastering of production of new products, improvement of quality of these products and technical documentation submitted in electronic form, providing the high level of service and a logistical support at post-production stages of product lifecycle or a product is achieved. CALS technologies are the powerful tool which is used at the hi-tech enterprises to increase in efficiency of the works performed during product lifecycle. Increase in efficiency is reached thanks to integration and succession of information. And also thanks to the fact that characteristics of many parts of the products created earlier, descriptions of the systems, processes, machines and the equipment involved at its production are stored in the unified electronic form and are available to any user irrespective of his location.

CALS technologies are based on set the integrated information models of a product and its production and operational environment. Moreover, thanks to application of computer networks and standard formats of data, CALS technologies allow to share information and it is correct to interpret it. CALS technologies are based on a possibility of sharing and information exchange during the processes executed during product lifecycle.

Based on CALS technologies virtual productions in which process of creation of specifications with information for CNC machines, sufficient for production of a product, can be distributed in time and space between many independent users and project studios are created. The main achievements of CALS technologies to be ease of distribution of the advanced project solutions and a possibility of repeated reproduction of parts of the project in new developments.

Advantages

Technologies, standards and CALS program technical means allow to exchange quickly and cheap electronic data and paperless electronic documents, and it gives the following advantages:

• possibility of side-by-side execution of difficult projects by several working groups what significantly reduces time of developments;
• planning and management of many enterprises participating in product lifecycle, expansion and improvement of cooperation communications;
• significant reduction of quantity of errors and alterations that leads to reduction of project deadlines and significant quality improvement of products;
• distribution of means and technologies of information support on after-sale stages of lifecycle  — the integrated logistical support of products.

These advantages lead to the fact that implementation of CALS technologies promotes the significant economy of working time and other production resources required for development of this or that product.

Components

The main components of CALS technologies are:

• CAD (Computer Aided Design)  — an instrumental complex of technical and software tools of automated design of products;
• CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing)  are automation systems of technology preparation of production;
• CAE (Computer Aided Engineering)  are the systems of reverse engineering;
• Concurrent Engineering  is implementers of technology of concurrent total engineering in the mode of group use of data;
• EDM (Enterprise Data Management)  is a management system for design and engineering data;
• systems of visualization of all development process of documentation;
• means of exchanging data;
• development tools of the application software;
• analysis techniques of processes of a project and technology, productive and management activity.

Structure

The full-fledged work of CALS technologies requires a broad software support. All software products applied to a funtsionirovaniye of CALS can be separated into two big groups:

• the programs necessary for creation and information transform about products, the production environment and production processes which use does not depend on implementation of CALS technologies;
• programs which application is directly connected with CALS technologies and requirements of the corresponding standards.

The software products which are traditionally applied at the enterprises of different industries and intended for automation different information and production processes and procedures belong to the first group. The following software tools and systems belong to this group:

• office programs for preparation of text and tabular documentation of different function (text editors, spreadsheets  , etc.);
• SAE-systems for automation of engineering calculations and outline design;
• CAD systems for automation of designing and production of work design documentation;
• [[|]]- systems for automation of technology preparation of production;
• systems MRP and ERP for automation of production planning and process management of production of products, stocks, production resources, transport  , etc.;
• means of the EDS for identification and authentication of information.

Programs belong to the second group:

• PDM for product data management and its configuration;
• project managements;
• WF (Work Flow) for management of job flows during creation and change of technical documentation;
• providing ILP of products at post-production stages of ZhTs;
• functional modeling, analysis and business process reengineering.

Implementation

In the world market already today, and soon and in Russia the products which are not supplied with electronic documentation and not having means of the integrated logistical support of post-production stages of lifecycle will be forced completely out. A number of strict requirements which satisfaction is impossible without implementation of CALS technologies is imposed to any hi-tech product. Among these requirements it is possible to select:

• submission of design and technology documentation electronically;
• submission of operational and repair documentation in the form of the interactive electronic technical guidances supplied with the illustrated electronic directories of spare parts and auxiliary materials and means of the remote order of spare parts and materials;
• the organization of the integrated logistical support of products at post-production stages of their lifecycle;
• existence and functioning of an electronic system of cataloguing of products;
• existence at the enterprises of the ISO standards of 9000:2000 systems of quality management conforming to requirements  , etc.

See Also

CAD

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