Providing a Systems Approach for Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation

In the past year, as part of the Administration's thrust to promote Advanced Manufacturing, a solicitation was issued for the establishment of a Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation (DMDI) Institute. The DMDI Institute will be part of the U.S. Administration's National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) initiative. The NNMI initiative is a Federal response to the need for an integrated, well-funded national network of large-scale, industry-led manufacturing innovation centers. Since global competitiveness is driven by the speed at which products can enter the marketplace at a competitive price point, this institute's focus will be on enterprise-wide utilization of the digital thread, enabling highly integrated manufacturing and design of complex products at reduced cost and time. It was stated that responses should clearly link a technology area with a specific concept of how that technology can impact that marketplace. The objective is to take the Department of Defense(DoD)Technology Readiness Level (TRL) from 4 to 7. This paper will illustrate a systems approach for DMDI based on establishing a Virtual Stochastic Lifecycle Design Environment (VSLDE) which could support the product development of complex systems, such as the new Army/DoD Future Vertical Lift (FVL) program, which will be used as an example.