Use Case: Digital Product Passport — Steel Coil to Part

This end-to-end example demonstrates how MIN's Nexus/Forma architecture models a real industrial scenario: from raw material to tested part, with full traceability.

Scenario

A DC04 steel coil is deep-drawn into a part, then tested via tensile test. The result is a digital product passport linking material, process, agent, data, and normative requirements.

Graph overview

Coil(Object) → Tiefziehen(Process) → Bauteil(Object)
                    ↑                      ↑
               Operator(Agent)        Zugversuch(Process)
                    ↑                      ↓
               DIN-Dok(Data) ──encodes→ ISO6892(Norma)
                                           ↓
                                    DC04(Institutio) ──comprises→ Norma, Structura
                                           ↓
                                    typifies → Coil

Example file

See examples/dpp-coil.ttl.

Key SPARQL queries

1. Which Norma constrain this part?

PREFIX min: <https://w3id.org/min#>
PREFIX ex:  <https://example.org/dpp/>

SELECT ?norma ?name WHERE {
  ?norma a min:Norma ;
         min:evaluates ex:bauteil_001 ;
         min:hasName ?name .
}

Returns: Rm >= 270 MPa, Tensile test procedure ISO 6892-1.

2. Who performed which process?

SELECT ?agent ?agentName ?process ?processName WHERE {
  ?agent min:performs ?process ;
         min:hasName ?agentName .
  ?process min:hasName ?processName .
}

3. Which Forma is encoded by which Data?

SELECT ?data ?dataName ?forma ?formaName WHERE {
  ?data min:encodes ?forma ;
        min:hasName ?dataName .
  ?forma min:hasName ?formaName .
}

4. What type is the coil? (Institutio → typifies)

SELECT ?type ?typeName WHERE {
  ?type min:typifies ex:coil_042 ;
        min:hasName ?typeName .
}

Returns: DC04.

5. What does DC04 comprise?

SELECT ?forma ?formaName WHERE {
  ex:DC04 min:comprises ?forma .
  ?forma min:hasName ?formaName .
}

Returns: Rm >= 270 MPa, C <= 0.08%, von Mises yield criterion.

Why Nexus/Forma matters here

• One-hop queries: "Which norms constrain this part?" is a single evaluates hop — no joins across type hierarchies needed.
• Data ≠ Forma: The DIN document (Data, has bytes) and the requirement it encodes (Norma, has no bytes) are separate nodes connected by encodes. Deleting the document does not delete the requirement.
• Institutio bundles: DC04 is not a flat label but a structured bundle (comprises) of atomic Forma instances. Each can be queried, evaluated, and traced independently.
• Epistemic layer: The tensile test confirms the Rm requirement and refutes the failure scenario — recording what we know, not just what is.