A Framework for Cloud Inspection of Complex Mechanical Parts

Inspection plays an important role in quality control and trust of manufacturing service in the cloud manufacturing (CMfg) paradigm. To provide an inspection service for complex mechanical parts in CMfg, the concept of cloud inspection was defined as a multi-dimension extension of CMfg. A framework of cloud inspection consisting of the physical resource layer, the cloud inspection platform, and the application layer was constructed. The data model of cloud inspection, including the role model, resource model, and business model was constructed. Besides, a 4-phrase process model was built by integrating digital inspection technology into the cloud manufacturing environment. Inspection resources including hardware resources, software resources, and knowledge resources were connected to the cloud inspection platform. A four-level model was proposed for the encapsulation of inspection services. Enable toolsets for cloud inspection of complex mechanical parts, including the inspection planning toolset, measurement programming toolset, inspection process monitor toolset, and data analysis toolset were encapsulated. A prototype system was developed. A case study was given to verify the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed framework. The framework for cloud inspection provides a solution for the inspection business of mechanical parts in CMfg.