Internet-enabled Virtual Prototyping Workbench for Fluid Power Systems

This paper discusses the development of virtual prototyping tools for fluid power systems to minimize the development time, cost and risk. The requirements for the deployment of virtual prototyping tools in terms of the communication of information from the perspectives of designers and manufacturers are presented. The importance of the Product Family Architecture (PFA) reflected by these requirements is discussed. A search function within the PFA is proposed. This "Search Engine" is developed to facilitate the location of appropriate components among manufacturers across different geographical regions. The paper also presents an integration of the proposed "Search Engine" with a workbench for performing the virtual prototyping activities. This work constitutes initial effort towards an Internet-enabled virtual prototyping workbench for fluid power systems. Future effort will focus on the computerized tools to support the assembly and analysis of the design and validation of the workbench for the virtual prototyping of complex fluid power systems.