To exploit the benefits of concurrent engineering and avoid the usual problems associated with nonconforming materials, an Air Force program for creating an aircraft transparency design engineering workstation, ADP2 (Analytical Design Package), was structured around a materials data server (M/VISION coupled with PATRAN). The data server at the core of the system is used to integrate a variety of applications and databanks, both commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and special purpose items developed by the Air Force and the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI). It provides the focal point for loading, processing, cataloging and transferring of data between the various applications.

As a part of the frameless transparency program (FTP), ADP2 is a design tool consisting of existing analysis codes and computer aided engineering (CAE) software. The objective of ADP2 is to develop an integrated design methodology for frameless transparencies, aircraft interfaces, and their corresponding tooling. The scope goes all the way from materials testing through design and analysis to manufacturing and full life cycle maintenance. Several categories of materials data are handled, including raw test data, manufacturer's product data, evaluated property and specification data (such as from Military Handbooks), synthesized or simulated properties data, as well as data on service history. The functional environment requires multiple iterations through the design process with evolving materials properties and processing parameters for various testing, manufacturing, and analysis environments.

The basic features of the ADP2 system and the development process are described. Insight into how the system is used is given by virtue of an example involving the materials data integration module. The incorporation of technology and concepts from evolving standards like ISO/STEP and ASTM Committee E49 on Computerization of Material and Chemical Property Data proved very beneficial.