Standard parametric product data representation:: what's the STEP ahead?

Nowadays, product design uses electronic data representation as a decisive resource for market success. The availability of this digital format makes easier the integration of services and applications among multiple production related computational tools. However, the existence of a standard for its representation is essential to achieve complete interoperability, and fundamental to be possible to get consistent integrated data and knowledge management, and thus enhanced computational incorporation through the production chain. Furthermore, product modelling often requires parametric representation to represent a product as an implicit construct. Under the ISO 10303 (STEP) normative solutions, recent developments on standards for product data modelling offer constraint and parametric capacities, e.g., ISO10303-Part108. This effort points to a computational product description where geometric and technical product data may be integrated, and design intent share becomes possible. However, intrinsic differences between geometric and technical constraints have been making difficult advanced data translation and sharing, and a step ahead on these standards is needed. This paper identifies some of the gaps in the product life cycle data model when adopting the ISO 10303 resources, when focused in the geometric and technical constraint aspects within parametric technology context, and contributes indicating a direction to where these extensions should be made. The examples described fundament the need for this STEP ahead.