Resource model and service match algorithm for mould manufacturing grid

This paper integrates characteristics of the mould manufacturing industry with grid computing technologies and proposes the concept of mould manufacturing grid. In order to realise sharing and collaboration of manufacturing resources, a commonly unified resource model is needed to support expandability. Manufacturing service demands are classified into three different levels from a business point of view. Manufacturing services and grid nodes can then be divided correspondingly. Part and process features are used in describing service demands from the viewpoints of customers and production plans of manufacturers. The resulting unified meta-data model is based on the object-oriented concept. A standard and expandable resource model is established and a service match algorithm is developed based on service features. A simulation prototype of a mould manufacturing grid is demonstrated.