Flexibility in the Design and Application of Component Coding and Classification Systems

Summary

Implications of the need to design a coding system so as to ease the tailoring of an existing code, or the development of a new one, to match the characteristics of a company’s component range or type of application are discussed. In this context it is shown that a computerized system offers significant advantages over manual methods, provided that it is designed to help rather than hinder the tailoring process. This implies an ability to handle a variety of code formats without the need to modify the system software. In addition, the system should provide analysis and other facilities to support the user in this task directly. A computerized system should also provide general database facilities which, when integrated with the coding system, can be used to store and manipulate other data to supplement that carried in the code. The database must be sufficiently flexible to store a wide variety of information such as process details, costs, design specifications, etc. These ancillary data, whether generated locally or down-loaded from the company database, enhance greatly the scope of the analyses that the coding system can perform. These points are illustrated by a description of the computer-aided manufacturing coding system, which has been developed at Aston University, and by reference to examples of its application in industry.