Towards Interoperability Across Digital Manufacturing Platforms

Abstract

The ICT infrastructure of many manufacturing companies usually is composed of mixed or what is sometimes referred to as heterogeneous systems or platforms. This trend continues with the development of digital manufacturing platforms that are built around vendor-specific technologies or closed standards. This paper introduces a platform interoperability framework that aims to promote transparency across different levels of digital platforms. The framework supports the development of interoperable solutions and creation of an ecosystem where applications and services that can be deployed across multiple platforms. The data gathered from the study highlight the interoperability potential among different levels of the digital platforms. The usefulness of the framework is evident in not only promoting transparency across domain-specific platforms but also identifying potential for collaborations and ecosystem creations.