A Traceable Knowledge Architecture for Industry 4.0 Manufacturing Process Chains

Balraj Avinash Waghmare1, Avinash Vishwanath Waghmare2

1Systems Engineer, BALBIRD INDUSTRIES, Pune
2Associate Professor, AISSMS COE, Pune

Abstract - As Industry 4.0 continues to transform manufacturing, the use of complex and multi-material products has increased the need for engineering decisions that are both traceable and explainable throughout the manufacturing process chain. Although current digital manufacturing systems effectively support monitoring, simulation, and production planning, they offer limited capability to retain the engineering rationale connecting product requirements with manufacturing execution. This paper proposes a Traceable Knowledge Architecture for Industry 4.0 Manufacturing Process Chains based on the Function-Feature-Process-Parameter-Facility-Evidence (FFPPFE) model and an ontology-driven reasoning framework. The proposed architecture captures and links engineering requirements, product features, manufacturing processes, process parameters, facility capabilities, and supporting evidence, enabling bidirectional traceability across the product realization lifecycle. The framework is validated through a multi-material EV cross-member joining case study, demonstrating its effectiveness in preserving and justifying engineering decisions. The proposed approach supports reusable, transparent, and knowledge-driven decision-making for future digital manufacturing environments.

Key Words:  Industry 4.0; Engineering Knowledge Architecture; Manufacturing Process Chains; Knowledge Traceability; Ontology-Driven Reasoning; Explainable Engineering; Multi-Material Joining.