Knowledge-based engineering

The handling of knowledge represents the key to competitiveness, with company-specific product and process knowledge marking a unique position with respect to competition. Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is a comprehensive application of artificial intelligence in engineering. It facilitates new product development by automating repetitive design tasks through acquisition, capture, transform, retention, share, and (re-)use of product and process knowledge. The idea behind KBE is to store engineering knowledge once by suitable, user friendly means and use it whenever necessary in a formal, well documented, repeatable and traceable process. It works like design automation. This chapter begins with the definition of knowledge in an engineering context and subsequently addresses the state-of-the-art in KBE research. Three particular areas of research are discussed in detail: knowledge structuring, maintainability of knowledge and KBE applications, and the technological progress and weaknesses of commercial KBE applications like KBE templates. From case study examples, various recent developments in KBE research, development and industrial exploitation are highlighted. By the resulting sequence optimization of the design process a significant time saving can be achieved. However, there are still notable drawbacks such as the complexity of KBE implementation and the adaptability of developed applications that need to be researched and solved. A view on KBE systems within the Concurrent Engineering context is synthesized, leading to the identification of future directions for research.