STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data) is focused on digital product data – things such as geometry, topology, tolerances, relationships, attributes, assemblies, configuration, etc.. CO is focused on the interoperability of process models and the data to support those models. STEP and CO are complementary and do not overlap in either goals or implementation.
OtherFrequently Asked Questions
How will organizations find the resources to migrate to CO compliance and still meet their original goals of delivering the capability of the Software Components? And, what will prevent organizations that are good at wrapping for CO compliance (but not so good at modeling) from dominating the market?
Migrating software to CO compliance will not keep people from pursuing their work. In fact it could…
What is the role for universities and research institutes in the CO marketplace?
Universities and other non-profit CAPE organizations can list their CO assets in terms of models developed. Models…
Won’t having to pay for the use of many components be a nightmare?
It is expected that such widely used specifications could well lead to freeware or shareware or different…
What is the incentive for different companies to share models?
The point is not to share models but to define and use interfaces that will make the…
How does CO address which criteria to choose for process optimization?
CO provides interface specifications that enable the use and definition of any criteria one may think of….
Who is providing CO-compliant environments and/or components?
Vendors:
AspenTech – Aspen Properties, Aspen Plus, Aspen Hysys
SimSci-ESSCOR, PRO/II
AmsterCHEM – COCO
HTRI – Xchanger Suite
DECHEMA – Thermo plug…
What is the relationship between CO and Open-Spirit?
Open Spirit Inc. is a company providing interoperability solutions for the oil and gass industries in the…
What is the relationship between CO and OPC?
OPC (OLE for Process Control. OLE = Object Linking Embedding) is an industry standard for interoperability of…
What is the relationship between CO and STEP?
STEP (Standard for the Exchange of Product model data) is focused on digital product data – things…
What is IMS?
The Intelligent Manufacturing Systems (IMS) initiative, is an industry-led, international research and development program established in 1995…
How will CO compliant Software Components be distributed?
Like any other software component, although the future of software distribution will likely continue to move toward…
How much effort will be required to make a Software Component CO compliant?
Like any other software development effort, it will depend on the complexity of the product. And the…
How users know which Software Components are CO compliant?
The CO-LaN maintains a list of CO-compliant Software Components.
How is the CO-LaN funded?
Funding comes from membership dues. Membership is organized in two groups: Full Members and Associate Members. Full…
What is the CO-LaN?
CO-LaN stands for CAPE-OPEN Laboratories Network. This is the organization that carries forward the work of CAPE-OPEN…