仿真技术在制造业中的应用与发展

在制造企业产品设计和制造的过程中，计算机仿真一直是不可缺少的工具，它在减少损失、节约经费、缩短开发周期、提高产品质量等方面发挥了巨大作用。制造业竞争的日趋激烈，促使各国研究和应用先进制造技术。先进制造技术的应用和发展，为计算机仿真的应用提供新的舞台，提出更高的要求。从发展的历程来看，仿真技术应用的领域空前的扩大，已从传统的制造领域（生产计划制定、加工、装配、测试）扩展到产品设计开发和销售领域。而与网络技术结合所带来的仿真的分布性、与图形和传感器技术相结合所带来的仿真的交互性、以及仿真技术应用的集成化，是仿真技术在制造业中应用的新趋势。按照仿真技术应用的对象不同，可将制造业中应用的仿真分为四类：面向产品的仿真；面向制造工艺和装备的仿真；面向生产管理的仿真；面向企业其它环节的仿真。本文将从以上四个方面，介绍计算机仿真在制造业中的具体应用。本文最后还介绍了虚拟现实和拟实制造的概念，作为计算机仿真在制造业中应用的展望。

Application and Development of Simulation Technology in Manufacturing

Simulation is a necessary aid for product development and manufacture. It can greatly reduce losses, save costs, shorten product development cycles and improve product quality. Since 1970s, Advanced Manufacturing Technology (AMT) has been studied and applied by institutes and enterprises all over the world as a strategy to adapt to global competition of manufacture. Application and development of AMT promotes the research and application of simulation technology in manufacturing. From the viewpoint of evolution, the application fields of simulation technology in manufacturing are obviously enlarged. Addition to conventional fields of manufacture (including production planning, machining, assembling and testing), simulation tools are developed in the fields of product design and development, supply chain, etc. And the most notable three trends of simulation application in manufacturing are: 1. Distributed, due to network technology; 2. Interactive, due to technology of graphics and sensory motor; 3. Integrated, such as VM, VPD, VFT, etc. According to different objects to be simulated, simulation in manufacturing can be classified as: 1. Product oriented; 2. Production management oriented; 3. Process and device oriented; 4. Others. This paper will describe simulation in manufacturing from above aspects. And Virtual Reality (VR) and Virtual Manufacturing (VM) are introduced in the last section as prospect of simulation in manufacturing.