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

• US 10,162,342 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: DiPippo, Edward A., Hagberg, Kyle Kurtis, Carpenter, Christopher Luis, Jensen, Max Neal, Williams, Anthony John
• Primary Examiner(s): Lebentritt, Michael
• Application Number:
  US14/991,126
• Publication Number:
  US 20170199516A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/41865 characterised by job scheduling, process planning, material flow
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/31044 Assembly of modular products, variant configurability
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32033 Send article design, needed material, packaging and shipping info to manufacturer
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/32082 Planing, material requiring planning MRP, request
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

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.

Claims

1. A manufacturing process management (MPM) computer device comprising a processor and at least one memory device, wherein said processor is in communication with said at least one memory device, said MPM computer device 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;

store, in a database in the at least one memory device, the first engineering design and the first manufacturing process plan;

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, by linking, in the database, the one or more operations with the corresponding requirement;

receive, from a user, a notification indicating that a first operation is complete; and

store, in the database, an indication that one or more requirements associated with the first operation are complete, wherein the indication is linked to the first operation in the database and the corresponding one or more requirements.

2. The MPM computer device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the engineering design includes a first part to be installed at a first location and a substitute part for the first part, and wherein the MPM computer device is further configured to:

receive a user input indicating that the substitute part was installed at the first location; and

store an indication that the first part was installed.

3. The MPM computer device in accordance with claim 2 further configured to receive, from the user, a selection of the substitute part in a manufacturing bill of materials.

4. The MPM computer device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first engineering design and the first manufacturing process plan further include a disassembly plan, and wherein the MPM computer device is further configured to:

receive, from the user, a first indication that a first part was installed;

store the first indication;

mark the product as complete based on the first indication and the first manufacturing process plan;

receive, from the user, a second indication that the first part was removed;

store the second indication; and

mark the product as incomplete based on the second indication.

5. The MPM computer device in accordance with claim 1 further configured to assign a relationship between a first part in the engineering bill of materials and a second part in a manufacturing bill of materials, wherein the relationship is at least one of an issue, a remove, a rework, a restructure, and a reference.

6. The MPM computer device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the engineering bill of materials includes a plurality of parts, and wherein the MPM computer device is further configured to:

determine at least one part of the plurality of parts associated with a requirement of the plurality of requirements;

add an item to the first manufacturing process plan associated with the at least one part to indicate the determined requirement; and

display the determined requirement to the user prior to the user installing the at least one part.

7. The MPM computer device in accordance with claim 1 further configured to:

receive an accountability check request from the user;

compare the engineering bill of materials with a manufacturing bill of materials for the first configuration;

generate a report based on the comparison; and

provide the report to the user.

8. The MPM computer device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the engineering bill of materials includes an installation that includes plurality of parts, and wherein the MPM computer device is further configured to:

receive, from the user, assignment of one or more of the plurality of parts;

receive, from the user, a request to approve the installation;

determine whether all of the plurality of parts are assigned; and

if the determination is that at least one of the plurality of parts is not assigned, prevent the user from approving the installation and approving the first manufacturing process plan.

9. The MPM computer device in accordance with claim 1 further configured to:

receive, from the user, a restructured part comprising a plurality of parts; and

associate the restructured part in the first manufacturing process plan with the plurality of parts in the engineering design.

10. The MPM computer device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the product is an aircraft.

11. A computer implemented method for managing changes to a product in a manufacturing environment, said method implemented using a manufacturing process management (MPM) computer device in communication with a memory, said method comprising:

receiving, by the MPM computer device, 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;

receiving, by the MPM computer device, a first manufacturing process plan for the first configuration of the product including a plurality of operations;

storing, in a database in the at least one memory device, the first engineering design and the first manufacturing process plan;

comparing, by the MPM computer device, 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;

associating, by the MPM computer device, each requirement with one or more of the plurality of operations based on the comparison, by linking, in the database, the one or more operations with the corresponding requirement;

receiving, from a user at the MPM computer device, a notification indicating that a first operation is complete; and

storing, in the database an indication that one or more requirements associated with the first operation are complete, wherein the indication is linked to the first operation in the database and the corresponding one or more requirements.

12. The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein receiving a first manufacturing process plan for the first configuration further comprises:

displaying, to the user, a plurality of parts associated with the first engineering design;

receiving, from the user, an approval of one or more parts of the plurality of parts; and

generating the first manufacturing process plan based on the one or more approved parts.

13. The method in accordance with claim 12 further comprising:

receiving, from the user, a second approval of one or more additional parts of the plurality of parts; and

updating the first manufacturing process plan to include the one or more additional parts.

14. The method in accordance with claim 12 further comprising:

determining a remaining plurality of parts based on the plurality of parts and the one or more approved parts;

determining a number of remaining parts to be approved; and

displaying the determined number and a list of the remaining plurality of parts.

15. The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the engineering design includes a first part to be installed at a first location and a substitute part for the first part, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a user input indicating that the substitute part was installed at the first location; and

storing an indication that the first part was installed.

16. The method in accordance with claim 11 further comprising receiving, from the user, a selection of the substitute part in a manufacturing bill of materials.

17. The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the first engineering design and the first manufacturing process plan further include a disassembly plan, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving, from the user, a first indication that a first part was installed;

storing the first indication;

marking the product as complete based on the first indication and the first manufacturing process plan;

receiving, from the user, a second indication that the first part was removed;

storing the second indication; and

marking the product as incomplete based on the second indication.

18. The method in accordance with claim 11 further comprising assigning a relationship between a first part in the engineering bill of materials and a second part in a manufacturing bill of materials, wherein the relationship is at least one of an issue, a remove, a rework, a restructure, and a reference.

19. The method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the engineering bill of materials includes a plurality of parts, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining at least one part associated with a requirement of the plurality of requirements;

adding an item to the first manufacturing process plan associated with the at least one part to indicate the determined requirement; and

displaying the determined requirement to the user prior to the user installing the at least one part.

20. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by a manufacturing process management (MPM) computer device having at least one processor coupled to at least one memory device, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor 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;

store, in a database in the at least one memory device, the first engineering design and the first manufacturing process plan;

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, by linking, in the database, the one or more operations with the corresponding requirement;

receive, from a user, a notification indicating that a first operation is complete; and

store, in the database, an indication that one or more requirements associated with the first operation are complete, wherein the indication is linked to the first operation in the database and the corresponding one or more requirements.