Reduce Cost, Increase Speed with Model-Based Definition

摘要

Moving to all-digital descriptions of parts is opening opportunities for small and medium sized business-not just the big guys. Manufacturers need to create more production setups as batch sizes get smaller. Skilled labor continues to be hard to hire and keep. Higher levels of automation are needed, not just in material handling but also in fabricating, machining, assembly, and inspection. These tasks start with a data package describing the part, usually containing a 3D CAD model. In many cases these models are accompanied with only a sheaf of paper that describes all of the product manufacturing information (PMI). It is difficult to automate a process from this traditional way of specifying a product, with a mix of CAD and paper. It is time consuming, requires (scarce) skilled technical expertise, and is error prone.